<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-02-19</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Claire Tolan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist: x *Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate x*Review over all structure: FRONT,BODY, BACK, DIV or rarely GROUP x*Add DIV TYPEs, make sure that @types makes sense as a navigational aide, and work in the context of the whole text, validate x*Survey book for troublesome formats of all kinds, including lists, illustrations, tables, music, math, end-notes, quasi-tabular arrangments, and marginalia. x*Proof title page(s) x*Examine marginalia. Is it all best tagged as NOTE? x*Observe divtop and divbottom material marking beginnings and ends of divisions, check that they are correctly tagged as HEAD, HEADNOTE, CLOSER, OPENER, ARGUMENT, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, DATELINE, BYLINE, etc. x*Check for GAPs - MISSING and BLANK, MUSIC, MATH, FOREIGN, SYMBOL, INTRUDER x*Check PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N="" x*Check ^, oe, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c., --, #, ABBR x*Check for illustrations and correct usage of FIGURE. Add FIGDESCs if necessary. x*Check q; startq endq Q x*If appropriate, check for yoghs. x*If appropriate, check for Latin problems, e.g. oe and ae digraphs x*If appropriate, check for abbreviation and brevigraph problems. x*If appropriate, check for units of measure, symbols (alchemical, astronomical, etc.) and the like. x*Correct illegibles from proofsheet x*Check illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs x*Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A77117">
<STC T="W">B3811</STC>
<STC T="T">E1344_3</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99868046</BIBNO>
<VID>169806</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>RELIGIO JVRISCONSVLTI.</P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for <HI>Henry Hood,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop in St. <HI>Dun|&s;tans</HI> Church-yard. 1649.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Readers.</HEAD>
<P>_WEll? Then it mu&s;t to the Pre&s;&s;e? yet Readers, yee be|ing of many Con|&s;titutions and Si|zes; my words therefore to you (though I am truely yours) are in generall, and but few, and tho&s;e not very plea&s;ing neither; (&s;ave onely that my Con&s;titution compells mee to declare my Bow to Noble Na|tures, to the truely knowing, wi&s;e, good man.) It is publi|&s;hed out of pure Love and Pit|ty (in the true concernments)
<PB REF="3">of Mankinde: And may it bee judged, <HI>Ex vi&s;ceribus cau&s;ae;</HI> I am not therefore minded to begge any thing, claiming al|lowance of the nece&s;&s;ary Inci|dents to a manly Action: I therefore wi&s;h every one of you (at lea&s;t) either &s;o much true Wit or Hone&s;ty, as will &s;u&s;pend reproofe onely, till you will bee publick in it, my In|genuity &s;ub&s;cribes, to refer to the generation of Wi&s;edome, who is the Foole or Knave in Print.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>DEO</HEAD>
<P>Maximo Optimo.</P>
<P>Dicatur Con&s;ecratur.</P>
<P>Actio Per&s;ona.</P>
<P>For Right Advance of Vnder|&s;tanding.</P>
<P>For Certain Re&s;olve of Iudge|ment.</P>
<P>For Effectuall moving the Will.</P>
<P>For Due and con&s;tant Opera|tion.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<Q><P><HI>Hoc ip&s;um e&s;t Coelo in terris frui: Quando mens humana in charitate move|tur; In providentia quie&s;cit, &amp; &s;upra Polos veritatis circumfertur.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Suave e&s;t in littore &s;tanti Naves, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Suave ad Arcis fene&s;tram &s;tanti, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sed nulla &s;uavitas vel voluptas aequiparari potest huicip&s;i, nempe ut quis &s;tet &s;uper clivum excel&s;um veritatis, at&abque; inde errores, caligines, &amp; Tempe&s;tates in convalle &s;ubjacenti de&s;piciat.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><P>Mans minde is not a Paradi&s;e, unle&s;&s;e there be planted in it the full knowledge of good and evill.</P></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<HEAD>The Subject.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Of the fir&s;t Beings, E&s;&s;ence, Operations.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Of the End in its externall Operations.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>How this End is to be performed, and of the ill finding and performing.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Where is the true Rule for performance, and the way for full Re&s;tauration.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>Religio Iuri&s;con&s;ulti.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of the fir&s;t Beings, E&s;sence, O|perations.</HEAD>
<P>_AS every Beginning hath a cau&s;e thereof, for there is not any thing can give that to it &s;elfe; &s;o, <HI>In cau|&s;is non datur progre&s;&s;us in infinitum:</HI> We mu&s;t there|fore come to a fir&s;t cau&s;e; for among In|finity of cau&s;es, the True, the Prime is not, therefore <HI>in cau&s;a datur progre&s;&s;us in infi|nitum,</HI> to a Precedent eternity of Durati|on, and a Being there is, without Begin|ning, the which is incident to an Infinite Being, to which any thing, (con&s;i&s;tent with the ab&s;olute Perfection) either in its Being, or in the manner thereof, cannot be denyed: and infinite this is in its Being;
<PB N="2" REF="5">For all Finites conjoyned cannot make up an Infinitie of Duration or otherwi&s;e: for that a finite thing &s;hould be infinite, is a contradiction, as well as that an infinite thing &s;hould bee finite. And al&s;o humane Rea&s;on being finite, and therefore its ef|fect comprehending any finite thing, it be|ing the cau&s;e thereof, mu&s;t be infinite; as in its Operation and Adjunct, &s;o in its Subject or E&s;&s;ence: this Being therefore is nece&s;&s;ary and independant, Infinitie be|ing Ab&s;olute, and Pre&s;ent, without aide of po&s;&s;ibilities or &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, neither parta|king of motion and change, but hath an e|ternall &s;amene&s;&s;e in it &s;elfe, and its nece&s;|&s;ary Operations, a&s; well to, as from eter|nitie: The world therefore is not (as the Epicure fir&s;t broached, and <HI>Ari&s;totle,</HI> and the Peripateticks held, contrarie to the former Votes of Philo&s;ophers) nece&s;&s;ari|lie eternall (their lower Degrees, of Independent eternities, wherein there can bee none, are by them&s;elves ranked together with time) it being finite, and the finite parts to &s;ence, appearing to bee &s;everall and divided Beings, not made up all one, and the whole being (as it mu&s;t bee) of a limited Operation,
<PB N="3" REF="5">neither hath it ab&s;olute perfection; for whence proceeds the invention of Arts and Sciences, and our better performance of Actions? whence the diver&s;ity of Enti|ties? &s;ubordinate and &s;ub&s;ervient, (which al&s;o is not to be admitted among eternals, which are equall, and al&s;o among whom, there can be no end, or con&s;ideration pre|cedent, they al&s;o con&s;i&s;ting of Contraries as appeares hereafter) one unto the other? And why was not the Prime E&s;&s;ence by them acknowledged, the author of all mo|tion, and &s;ource of all perfection, admit|ted (among their highe&s;t degrees of Eter|nities) to a Deity? Nor is the World &s;o con&s;tant in any its properties and qualifi|cations, as in its incon&s;tancy, alterations, variations and decay, nece&s;&s;arily con&s;e|quent from the contrary matter, where|of it con&s;i&s;ts, its &s;ucce&s;&s;ion helps not, as afore&s;aid; and al&s;o where the cau&s;es and parts are temporall and mea&s;ured, the ef|fect &amp; the whole, cannot be of it &s;elf eter|nall; and man &s;ure, if any, is to bee eter|nall, he being the principall, and all other things for him, as appeares hereafter. But he is not, as of this world; for his temper, his minde, is here con&s;tant in incon&s;tancy,
<PB N="4" REF="6">un&s;atisfied, imperfect, and inthralled to the Lawes of Mortalitie; and though it be admitted, particulars re&s;olve into their Principles, and all things relieve nature in common, (which therefore needs it) yet tho&s;e Principles partake of no further Be|ing than before: And therefore <HI>Datur an|nihilatio,</HI> without an infinite power, (the contrary parts invading and ab&s;olutely de|vouring one the other, though where the &s;ubject is finite there bee no need thereof, as afore&s;aid) as well as a higher being by Degrees, in&s;en&s;ibly pa&s;&s;eth to a lower: All things therefore in this world, being under Motion and Time, have a cau&s;e, which is either accidentall, or worketh by an intended due Operation; not acciden|tall, that is not eternall, as the fir&s;t cau&s;e mu&s;t be, as afore&s;aid: Nor doth it give a|ny Being, but onely alters, and therefore rather helpes to de&s;troy Being; and al&s;o the &s;everall parts of the World con&s;i&s;t e|ven of contraries in their particular Be|ings, and are of &s;o high a fa&s;hion, &s;tored with &s;uch manner of varieties, and &s;o proportionable, and u&s;efull, in the totall, one unto another, that in <HI>Galens</HI> opinion, (who endeavoured otherwi&s;e) it was a
<PB N="5" REF="6">&s;overaigne Wi&s;edome, a Perfectly Good, and Heavenly minde that cau&s;ed it. The fa&s;hion of man likewi&s;e is wonderfull, e|ven a miracle; and as he is the Lieutenant of the world, as appeares hereafter, &s;o he is the abridgement of it, being capable to partake of every part thereof: All other things are al&s;o as fitly an&s;wering their proper Natures, and Degrees; And though Perfection in each kinde, be accruable by Degrees, yet never by meere accident, which onely produceth di&s;order and Con|fu&s;ion; And then al&s;o the cour&s;e of the World would not be &s;o like it &s;elfe, in its Operations, nor keep therein the Order and Harmony it now doth, and for all time hath done. All things therefore are cau&s;ed by &s;ome intended due Operation, contrary to the hap-hazzard Opinion (which can extend onely to Accidents) (upon proportionable Alterations of the World; for the better Entities, the grea|ter Alterations, for the other, the le&s;&s;er; as by Moats of the Sunne, collected toge|ther, &amp;c. (a Production incon&s;i&s;tent, with a duration to eternity) received by the Epicures (from <HI>Democritus</HI> their Foun|der) and other Accidentall Philo&s;ophers.
<PB N="6" REF="7">This Cau&s;e or Being, (though with <HI>Pla|to, Plotine,</HI> and others, it is farre more ex|cellent than Being, it giving it) is but one: for it being eternall, it is infinite, as afore|&s;aid; and therefore though it bee not ma|teriall, as appeares hereafter, yet it having no limits in its Being, and therefore having all Being in it &s;elfe, no being can be con&s;i&s;tent with it, but mu&s;t be of it. Ab|&s;olute Perfection al&s;o con&s;i&s;ts in Unity, and according to the Opinion of <HI>Proclus, Plotine</HI> and <HI>Zeno</HI> (the Patron of the Sto|icks) the denyall of its Unity, is therefore an ab&s;olute denyall of its Being: The o|riginall al&s;o of every thing is Unity; And of rea&s;onable Creatures which are to per|forme the end of his Operations externall, as appeares hereafter, there is but one kinde, and all things in the world, though made up of contraries, tend onely to one Generall Being, without difference or fa|ction: And though two, and many Beings, are acknowledged by many Philo&s;ophers, yet when they would be &s;erious, mo&s;t of them acknowledged onely One, Supream, the cau&s;e of all others. And the Poeticall Philo&s;ophers, and <HI>Orpheus</HI> the fir&s;t of them, which among their vaine imagina|tions
<PB N="7" REF="7">fir&s;t imagined &s;everall fir&s;t Beings, when they were Reall, acknowledged onely One; yet it is po&s;&s;ible, for this fir&s;t Being, to make another Infinite Being, (contrary to <HI>Ari&s;totles</HI> impo&s;&s;ibilities) he being an Infinite Cau&s;e, and it not being a Contradiction. This fir&s;t Being is there|fore al&s;o Infinite (it being of an indivi&s;ible &s;ingle Perfection, thereby the Infinitene&s;&s;e of One excludes not the other) in all its Properties; and it is Spirituall becau&s;e e|ternall, and Simple, and Pure, (and there|fore fully capable of all things) <HI>compo&s;i|tum,</HI> being latter to the things whereof compounded, and al&s;o containes varieties, which produce Motion and Change, is al&s;o Good and Perfect; for Vice and Im|perfection, are deviations from a true O|peration, and departers from Eternity. It hath al&s;o in it &s;elfe an Infinite Perfection of all things that have Being, or that any Being wants, or can imagine: For, <HI>Nil dat, quod non habet:</HI> This fir&s;t Being is therefore a Pure Act, and therfore (though ever at re&s;t in it &s;elfe) is alwayes nece&s;&s;a|rily in Operation: And therefore (though Simple and One it &s;elfe) hath Word, or Conception, and Operation, which is not
<PB N="8" REF="8">a meere Reflexion of his Under&s;tanding, Minding and knowing him&s;elfe, (though that mu&s;t be in his perfect Being, and al|&s;o, though all Under&s;tanding mu&s;t be his Being, it being the Beginning of all Ends, as <HI>Plotine</HI> &s;aith) as is generally conceived for an action of Reflexion, Onely, is not the full Operation of Rea&s;on and under|&s;tanding, (which this Word and Concep|tion mu&s;t be) neither are there therby pro|duced any externall Operations, they not being of the E&s;&s;ence of the fir&s;t Being, as appeares hereafter: And al&s;o therefore upon externall Operations, another Word would then be &s;ub&s;tituted; the third Pow|er al&s;o, as appeares hereafter, would then al&s;o be made up of divers Beings or Po&s;&s;i|bilities, which cannot be in Infinity, as afore&s;aid. And though Word &s;ignifie Speech, yet therefore it doth not, as <HI>Mer|curius Tre&s;megi&s;tus</HI> u&s;eth it, &s;tand for ex|ternall Speech onely; for that is not an in|ternall &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, nor an eternall nece&s;|&s;ary Operation of the fir&s;t Cau&s;e. It is therefore the Internall Adaequate, nece&s;&s;a|ry and eternall Operation of the fir&s;t cau&s;e, and therefore a Coe&s;&s;entiall, Coequal, Co|eternall Sub&s;i&s;tence with it. This Word,
<PB N="9" REF="8">as it is the perfect adaequate Operation of his Under&s;tanding, hath been by Philo&s;o|phers, called the Wi&s;dome, and Maker of all things, as it, wherein all the trea&s;ures of wi&s;edome are hid, but as begotten by him, &s;o called, his I&s;&s;ue or Sonne: There is al&s;o in this fir&s;t being, a Spirit or Power, proceeding from it, called by <HI>Mercury</HI> a Fiery God, which doth infinitely act up|on the fore&s;aid Conception or Operation, otherwi&s;e, there were no contentment, yea a meer in&s;en&s;ibility in the fir&s;t excellent active Being; and al&s;o, external operations, would be without vigorous Liveline&s;&s;e and Effect. This Power was by Ancient Philo&s;ophers, called perfect Love, and E|ternall, in relation to the Eternall Opera|tion of the internall word. This Spirit is al&s;o a &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, Coe&s;&s;entiall, Coequall, Coeternall with the fir&s;t Cau&s;e, and In|ternall Word is for the rea&s;ons afore&s;aid, of the Word, and doth in Order, though not in Being, proceed from the fir&s;t Be|ing, through the Word, though not Begotten, as the Word is from the fir&s;t Being. As there are the&s;e three (Power, Wi&s;edome, Goodne&s;&s;e) (rather Powers than Per&s;ons, as mo&s;t terme them) &s;o
<PB N="10" REF="9">there are no more; for all other Operati|ons mu&s;t be externall, and pa&s;&s;e emanant|ly out of the Agent: neither can the&s;e In|ternall be multiplied, they being nece&s;&s;ary and proceeding from one, ab&s;olutely &s;in|gle, and Indivi&s;ible, even Unity it &s;elfe, as afore&s;aid: there are therefore no further Operations of Con&s;ultation, and holding Parliaments by this perfect infinite Tri|nity, as many men expre&s;&s;e, whereby a fourth &s;ub&s;i&s;tence for the rea&s;ons afore|&s;aid, of the Word and Spirit, would bee &s;ub&s;tituted, which is incon&s;i&s;tent with the Being, and infinite Perfection of this Tri|nity; This fir&s;t Being as afore&s;aid, cau&s;ing all other Things, there is not any thing that hath an eternall Being with it, but mu&s;t be from it: All other things therefore are produced as the <HI>Terminus, a Quo,</HI> (though not as the <HI>Materia ex Qua;</HI> whereupon the Philo&s;ophers grounded an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilitie, and therefore not at all Fea&s;ible, no not by an infinite cau&s;e) of nothing; the generall Vote of the later Philo&s;ophers following <HI>Ari&s;totle,</HI> that they are eternall, becau&s;e <HI>ex nihilo nihil fit,</HI> is therefore erronious, and holds not (though between nothing and &s;omething,
<PB N="11" REF="9">though not between &s;omething and no|thing, as appeares before, there be an in|finite di&s;tance) concerning the acts of an infinite Agent, with whom infinite things are as finite, and as fea&s;able, by a bare Ema|nation, without any Motion or Mutation, in any pre-exi&s;tent matter: And if there were a precedent Chaos, then this unlick'd confu&s;ed Chaos &s;hould be infinite and per|fect, &amp;c. and then there would bee two Eternities, and the one &s;hould have Power over the other, neither of which can bee, as afore&s;aid. And why may not the matter be created, (as the <HI>Terminus a Quo</HI>) of no|thing, as the former? according to the <HI>Platoni&s;ts</HI> Tenent, the Forme being by their opinion the higher: And if there were Matter, there would be al&s;o Forme; for without it, (or deformity it &s;elf, which then would be the Forme of it) there is no matter; and &s;o again&s;t their opinion, by their opinion, a World is to be Eternall. But how can a Chaos? which hath nei|ther Under&s;tanding nor Sen&s;e, but is the comprehendable Object of them, contri|bute to them, which are &s;o farre above it? Do not the Philo&s;ophers thereupon agree, that there are divers things in Nature,
<PB N="12" REF="10">which mu&s;t have other kinde of Begin|ning than from a Chaos? Doe not the con&s;tant defects and prevarications of all kindes, argue, that the matter de&s;ires to re|vert to its Originall and <HI>Terminus a Quo,</HI> after its confu&s;ion even to nothing? It is therefore proportionable to a higher Un|der&s;tanding, that it is made from nothing; for the di&s;proportion ari&s;eth onely from the not apprehending the power of the A|gent: And &s;o it is a truth above our Rea|&s;on, but not again&s;t it: wee apprehend it not, it being above our Spheare, and a|bility of working. This Creation is made from the fir&s;t cau&s;e, through the Word, by the Spirit, they being intirely coe&s;&s;entiall in Order afore&s;aid, and is externall, and therefore not at all e&s;&s;entiall (they al&s;o be|ing temporary and mea&s;ured) nor nece&s;&s;ary in any kinde (as the <HI>Ari&s;totelians</HI> would have it) either as an effect, or for the u&s;e, and behoof of the fir&s;t Being, though the Word, Making it, be nece&s;&s;ary. And there|fore though this E&s;&s;ence bee a Pure Act, yet externall Operations may be deferred; And as the Philo&s;ophers &s;ay, he was Eter|nally in him&s;elfe, and therefore al&s;o might have done externall Operations, (as the
<PB N="13" REF="10">Creation of Spirits, &amp;c.) even from Eterni|ty; and therefore this world might bee from Eternity, though not eternall, by Creation. It is made by Word, there is no precedent Matter; and this Word mu&s;t have an infinite Spirit, which by the An|cient Philo&s;ophers, is called, the externall Word. The Conclu&s;ion therefore is, that a mo&s;t Excellent, Eternall, Infinite fir&s;t Cau&s;e, nece&s;&s;arily begetting a Coe&s;&s;ential, Coequall, Coeternall Word; from which nece&s;&s;arily proceeding a Coe&s;&s;entiall, Co|equall, Coeternall Spirit, through and by them hath Created all things Good, accor|ding to plea&s;ure. And though (as <HI>Mercu|rius</HI> &s;aith) he is be&s;t expre&s;&s;ed in &s;ilence, no Name or De&s;cription being able to reach him by an infinite Di&s;tance; yet it being nece&s;&s;ary to have &s;ome expre&s;&s;ion whereby to Meane him, he &s;hall be termed out of the Premi&s;es, <HI>Jehovah,</HI> and (with <HI>Plotine</HI>) de&s;cribed that He is, what He is: It is therefore evident, (though no Syllo|gi&s;ticall Demon&s;tration lyeth in the Ca&s;e, it being a Cau&s;e) <HI>Per demon&s;trationem in Orbem,</HI> That it is not Feare, or Weak|ne&s;&s;e of Nature, which Creates a God, (according to the Athei&s;ts Opinion)
<PB N="14" REF="11">though it al&s;o proves a God, as appeares more hereafter.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of its End, in its externall Ope|rations.</HEAD>
<P>BY Negation, there might be more uttered, of this great <HI>Jehovah;</HI> but that being onely private, and it appearing that our Apprehen&s;ions and Judgements are to attribute the highe&s;t unto him, a ne|gative Manife&s;tation &s;hall not further bee in&s;i&s;ted upon, but a further po&s;itive know|ledge of him, comes not within the &s;phear of Rea&s;on, it being a Created thing which cannot comprehend its maker, and where|by Creatures below it are al&s;o but in part knowne, he being thereby di&s;covered only <HI>ab effectu:</HI> and as the predicate is included in the nature of the Subject, and appea|ring to us onely wonderfull, which is a weake broken knowledge, therefore al&s;o not fitly further to be enquired into; but as the Philo&s;opher <HI>Dama&s;cius</HI> &s;aith, is to
<PB N="15" REF="11">be honoured in &s;ilence; our Apprehen&s;i|ons carrying no proportion to that E&s;|&s;ence, and our judgements unable to con|ceive it; our imagination partakes onely of corporeall things, and is but a part of our &s;en&s;itive faculty: And though our Un|der&s;tanding is the higher part of us, yet we doe not under&s;tand but through the Sen&s;es, though above them: (And &s;o it may be &s;aid, there is &s;omething in the Un|der&s;tanding, which never was in the Sen|&s;es;) And therefore I may ju&s;tly judge that to bee which I cannot apprehend. My finite narrow Under&s;tanding, al&s;o mu&s;t be a&s;toni&s;hed and confounded, in further Inquiry in it; for finite cannot under&s;tand infinite: Settle I therefore my judgment, maugre the jealou&s;ies of Apprehen&s;ion (which not any Truth is Proofe to with|&s;tand) yea, or the narrow confounded Conceits (which nece&s;&s;arily are in my under&s;tanding, as afore&s;aid) which (not acknowledging <HI>Ari&s;totles</HI> conceit, That alteration mu&s;t con&s;equently bee in <HI>Jeho|vah,</HI> if the World bee not Eternall, it no more (yea not &s;o much) altering him, than the Argument alters me) thinke it much for&s;ooth, that there &s;hould be an In|finite
<PB N="16" REF="12">Being &s;o ab&s;olute One, (though of nece&s;&s;ity it mu&s;t be &s;o, as afore&s;aid, being &s;o &s;olitary, as not to have, or admit any o|ther, (the which denotes onely imperfe|ction, to be relieved by another) yea &s;uch a Being, which neither hath Beginning, or Capability of End (though they are meer Contradictions, as afore&s;aid) yea they be|come confounded, with their owne Non|&s;ence and Contradictions; That it &s;hould bee of it &s;elfe, yet altogether without it &s;elfe, fix I my Poles, and <HI>Atlas,</HI> upon this certaine Truth, to guard this under&s;tand|ing, non-plu&s;&s;ed, not by due rea&s;on, which hath agreed unto mee, the&s;e very things; but by a&s;toni&s;hment, being dazled by them, which is to be expected, as afore&s;aid; and not look for more Light than noon-day, or &s;u&s;pect an under&s;tanding and heart &s;o much my owne, &amp;c. (The &s;ame things al|&s;o, mu&s;t bee agreed, upon any &s;uppo&s;ition what&s;oever: As if <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> would &s;tate the world to be Eternall, &amp;c.) But though I am not capable of further knowledge of his E&s;&s;ence, yet it ought not to drive mee backward: But &s;eeing all my good and happine&s;&s;e depends, and mu&s;t be termina|ted upon him, Inquire I of him, wherein
<PB N="17" REF="12">he may, and is to be known, &s;o farre as be|longs to mans Duty, and is requi&s;ite to Mans Good and Happine&s;&s;e; which mu&s;t con&s;i&s;t in knowing and doing what hee hath appointed to be knowne and done, by man. Inquire I therefore, what he wil|leth in his Creatures, which will bee ga|thered and concluded from his End in the Creation; and the Qualifications and In|dowments of the Creatures, they being the Lawes whereby they are to worke, and behave them&s;elves: It is certaine, e|very voluntary Operation, is done for &s;ome end; and the better the Operation is, the more proportionable, and determi|ned is the purpo&s;e of it: As the be&s;t Ope|ration is from him, &s;o the highe&s;t the crea|ture is able to performe, and mo&s;t determi|ned, mu&s;t the end of it bee; honour and wor&s;hip therefore, (man being fitted for it, as appears hereafter) (which is the per|fection of Glory) is to be performed unto Him: And al&s;o a right mannagement, or behaviour among the Creatures (though that therefore cannot bee the &s;ole end of the Creation, as &s;ome conceive, every O|peration being done for the Makers End, and not for the end of the thing made:)
<PB N="18" REF="13">Good and Happine&s;&s;e therefore con&s;i&s;ts in doing the&s;e, it being the true and full Operation of the Creature &s;o made: And it mu&s;t be done, becau&s;e determined. This end of his Operation terminates upon Man, and upon no Creature below him; for the Creature mu&s;t be fitted, and have a proportion to that, for which it is ap|pointed, (be&s;ide the fitne&s;&s;e of the matter appointed) and tho&s;e that are fitted, and have a peculiar proportion, mu&s;t be &s;o ap|pointed, otherwi&s;e the Actions of <HI>Jeho|vah</HI> would be vaine: The other Corpo|reall Creatures are not able to know any thing, of any Spirituall thing, as the fir&s;t E&s;&s;ence is, as afore&s;aid; or of honor &amp; wor|&s;hip due unto him, as afore&s;aid; or the Di|ctates of Rea&s;on, what is Good, or Bad, &amp;c. But keep only a &s;en&s;uall &s;ingle cour&s;e, being guided by the Rule of Sen&s;e onely. But man, (duely qualified in his Rea&s;on, although hee differs not in any vi&s;ible Principle from Bea&s;ts) pierceth into the Greate&s;t, and mo&s;t Contrary Materi|all things together, and is the better for it, makes univer&s;all Conclu&s;ions, and will not be confined by particulars, takes materiall things ab&s;tractedly, and meerely in under|&s;tanding,
<PB N="19" REF="13">knowes al&s;o his owne materiall Being, and therefore he is more than any &s;uch Being: Is able al&s;o to conceive of Vertue and Vice, Rea&s;on and Wi&s;edome, Folly and Madne&s;&s;e; which proceeds not from any Con&s;equence, or Excellency of Sen&s;e (as &s;ome would have it) It being altogether of an ab&s;tracted nature, is able (notwith&s;tanding his great Depravation, as hereafter appeares) to perceive, and judge of &s;pirituall things, yea the great <HI>Jehovah,</HI> and that he is to be Honoured, and Wor&s;hipped, and that by him, as a|fore&s;aid; hee is likewi&s;e appointed for E|ternity, although it cannot be proved, as many endeavour it, from the very Being of his Soul, (yet tell not what his Soule is, not any finite created thing, being able, to under&s;tand its utmo&s;t and highe&s;t grounds; for it gives the power to Under&s;tand and Judge) for that Contraries doe not pur&s;ue, but as they en&s;ue one another, in under&s;tanding; and though de&s;tructive, each to other, maintain the minde, and them|&s;elves to, each from other; and for that the minde (as they &s;uppo&s;e) is not liable, to outward or inward violence, in re&s;pect of the neare Conjunction of his mind and
<PB N="20" REF="14">body, and that &s;o outwardly corre&s;pon|dent with other Creatures, which there|fore their further blinde, and lame Argu|ments, from the eyes and legges, maimed, either in the In&s;trument, or &s;en&s;itive Fa|culty, without prejudice to the under&s;tan|ding, reach no more than my hor&s;e: And in re&s;pect the Rea&s;ons which &s;hould prove it, to be Eternall in its very Being, mu&s;t be from the &s;oule it &s;elfe, which is finite, and therefore cannot be eternall in it &s;elfe, as afore&s;aid; yet in re&s;pect of the Temper and operation of the minde, it will lively and indenyable appeare, that it hath plea&s;ed <HI>Jehovah</HI> to appoint him for Eternity: For man under&s;tands any ma|teriall temporall Things, and is not &s;atisfi|ed with their fulne&s;&s;e, but they are empty and un&s;atisfactory unto him: There is no|thing great in this Materiall world to man, nothing in man to his &s;oule, and therefore takes full delight and enjoyment in Spiri|tuall Eternall things; I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> va&s;t and unlimi|ted in the De&s;ires and Operations of his minde, and is onely to be &s;atisfied in the great <HI>Jehovah,</HI> who therefore is to bee the Eternall Object, of his Under&s;tanding; he is al&s;o able to under&s;tand Mortality, and
<PB N="21" REF="14">its difference from Immortality: So that when he argues for the former, he is con|cluded by the latter; but the de&s;ire attri|buted to him, to continue his Memory by his Statues, Writings, &amp;c. and produced, in evidence for his Immortality, is but Temporary, and in re&s;pect of man, and many times a world is &s;hort of it: Nei|ther can he have the Imaginary ability a|&s;cribed unto him, to apprehend &s;ub&s;equent Eternity, though not precedent, he being finite. But whether he is &s;en&s;ible, that up|on his di&s;&s;olution his &s;oule dyeth not with him, and &s;eekes for comfort in another place, &s;eeing one mu&s;t be dead fir&s;t, before it can be determined, it mu&s;t here be let a|lone by me, till it &s;hall bee determined, how it hath plea&s;ed <HI>Jehovah</HI> to appoint him for Eternity. Of which hereafter.</P>
<P>Mans &s;oule therefore, according to <HI>Gal|lens</HI> &s;econd better opinion, is of a better being, than the perfecte&s;t materiall, tem|porall Being, his Forme likewi&s;e is to|wards Heaven, and his A&s;pect lookes to Eternity. And if he be not Eternall, why is he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with good or bad affecti|ons concerning a &s;ucceeding Being? Are not Ju&s;tice and Inju&s;tice meere fopperies,
<PB N="22" REF="15">and Vertue and Vice onely phanta&s;ticall, if there bee not a &s;ucceeding time (and therefore Eternall, as appeares hereafter) for Rewards and Puni&s;hments, there be|ing not any good without its bad, no Ver|tue without its Allay here in this World, &s;ince Mans depravation, as appeares here|after? (So that humane actions receive their &s;entence in this world, onely accor|ding to the exigences of Mutation, and that ju&s;tly in <HI>Foro &s;aeculi,</HI> it being fit and proper to the Condition and Temper of their Reall Being, the &s;entence belonging to them upon their Internall, Eternall Be|ing, onely is by <HI>Jehovah,</HI> to whom onely vengeance, and the ab&s;olute univer&s;all Power, to &s;entence belongs.) And there|fore exact Vertue and Goodne&s;&s;e is neg|lected, and a certaine &s;ufferer in this World, and a Politick Vice the flouri&s;her, and the fortunate: And therefore al&s;o, why doe vitious Actions, though laid un|der the ob&s;cure&s;t Mantle, and above all temporall controule bring Anxieties, (not to bee relieved, by any temporall thing (though through depravation and dark|ne&s;&s;e of minde, there may be a &s;lumber, and in&s;en&s;ibility of them:) and therefore
<PB N="23" REF="15">are not the puni&s;hments, as &s;ome would have them, they al&s;o not being, but as fea|ring puni&s;hments, which mu&s;t be Eternall, as appeares hereafter) upon Man? and good delight to the Perfecte&s;t, the greate&s;t. Like|wi&s;e, if we con&s;ider the Perfection of <HI>Je|hovah's</HI> Externall Operation, the Creati|on of the world; And al&s;o the Perfection of his Providence (which is of nece&s;&s;ity upon his Being, and his Creatures depen|ding, as afore&s;aid, (contrary to the opini|on of the Epicures) unlike it &s;elf) (though it be (as it mu&s;t be) granted, Mans be&s;t Fortune to con&s;i&s;t in the be&s;t things. If thou ha&s;t goodne&s;&s;e and Knowledge, what if another partake of perfect Health? and Beauty? of Honours? or Plea&s;ures? Or the earthine&s;&s;e of Riches? Who would get by the Exchange? The&s;e things are too low for <HI>Jehovah</HI> to give, or man to re|ceive: And though it mu&s;t bee granted, this Providence being according to his Being, mu&s;t bee beyond our Apprehen&s;i|ons, in ordering pre&s;ent Ills, to &s;ome great &s;ucceeding good) they will evidence that there is a further account to be made: The &s;oule of man therefore, contrary to <HI>Pliny, Lucian, Lucretius, Epicurus,</HI> and others
<PB N="24" REF="16">of that Habit, which onely judge Corpo|really, and Sen&s;ually, and confine them|&s;elves to the Operations of their &s;en&s;itive Power, is appointed for Eternity; And their &s;en&s;uall low conceits, not reaching Rea&s;on, which is the height, and true Na|ture of man, &s;hould no more prevaile with us, than their madde Opinions, as Athei&s;ts, as afore&s;aid. Have not all People, Wi&s;e and Fooli&s;h, acknowledged a Deity? (of which the <HI>Scicilian Saturne, Cham</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Noah,</HI> was counted the Fa|ther. Vaine Super&s;tition is here a good Naturall Witne&s;&s;e for true Religion) to whom Honour and Wor&s;hip was to be gi|ven by them; and thereupon al&s;o, That Man is for Eternity, Religion, Providence, and Mans Immortality being in&s;eperable, as before, (be&s;ide which nothing was ge|nerall in the World, and therefore was not received into the eares by Tradition, but mu&s;t be naturall, the Religions al&s;o be|ing &s;o different, of which hereafter.) Have not the mo&s;t learned, and mo&s;t perfect of man-kinde, perceived and rejoyced, even to Ravi&s;hment in Immortality? Have not tho&s;e of the contrary Faction, been held generally vaine? Man is to take his Dire|ctions
<PB N="25" REF="16">from the Generall and mo&s;t Per|fect: Error, Bea&s;tline&s;&s;e, In&s;en&s;ibility may goe with others, and the Natures of mo&s;t Creatures have &s;way and powerfull Ope|rations in particular men; can therefore &s;uch a Conclu&s;ion be con&s;ented unto, that Man is happy only when he is Bea&s;tly? It is not therefore a meer Fancy in man, that there is an Eternity for him, becau&s;e (as <HI>Pliny</HI> &s;aith) he hath a minde &s;welled by Ambition to bee Immortall. Nor is it a vaine &s;peculation of a &s;trained apprehen&s;i|on, or a Conclu&s;ion which hath been re|ceived into the eares by man, and intoxi|cated his Braines, and &s;o exerci&s;eth a &s;u|per&s;titious Tyranny over his minde: Nei|ther is there onely a meere capability in Man, to receive the Impre&s;&s;ions of the U|niver&s;all minde, (as the Sunne enlightens all eyes) wherein the variety &s;hould a|ri&s;e, either in re&s;pect of the diver&s;ity of Actuall Imaginations, or Po&s;&s;ible, by rea|&s;on of Con&s;titutions, as <HI>Averrhoes,</HI> and <HI>Alexander Aphridiceus,</HI> fla&s;hingly imagi|ned; for then all men could not agree in &s;ome things, and then al&s;o, all of the &s;ame Con&s;titution mu&s;t in all; and therefore then, they two, could not &s;o immediately
<PB N="26" REF="17">have di&s;agreed about the manner of the varietie of Reception: Al&s;o, no man could then vary from his Imagination and Will; neither could he imagine any thing, but he mu&s;t under&s;tand it: and al&s;o, there mu&s;t then be a &s;uddaine Perfection of un|der&s;tanding and knowledge, without &s;tudy and endeavour; Mans &s;oule likewi&s;e by them is held to bee onely One, therefore the &s;en&s;itive and vegetative Powers ari&s;e al&s;o from receiving the Impre&s;&s;ions of the univer&s;all Minde. This &s;oule is al&s;o, there|fore, an Image of <HI>Jehovah,</HI> having a Re|&s;emblance of Him, and Spirituall Things, as the Body hath of the World, and Tem|porall Things. There is therefore no <HI>Pi|thagorian</HI> Tran&s;migration of Soules in the Literall Sen&s;e, but onely as afore&s;aid; this Tran&s;migration being no &s;atisfaction to Ju&s;tice, as appeares hereafter; Nor any Puni&s;hment or Paine, but rather an Indul|gence, &s;utable to a regenerate &s;oule: And therefore the other Creatures, (yea the mo&s;t loath&s;ome, &s;eemingly vaine, or refractory) being onely proper for the u&s;e and Powers of Man, are therefore, as <HI>Hermes</HI> &s;aith, appointed for his u&s;e and &s;ervice. The Conclu&s;ion therefore, that
<PB N="33" REF="17"><HI>Jehovah</HI> created man, to Honour him in his Infinite Perfection, Power, Wi&s;dome, Goodne&s;&s;e, (as the lower Entities doe the other) to Wor&s;hip him with Feare and Love, for giving him &s;uch an ex|cellent Being, with &s;uch &s;everall Com|forts and Delights; And to demean them|&s;elves fitly among them&s;elves, and to|wards the other Creatures.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>How this End &s;hould bee Per|formed: And of the ill Fin|ding, and Performing.</HEAD>
<P>IT appearing that Man is to give Ho|nour and Wor&s;hip, even the fulne&s;&s;e of Glory to <HI>Jehovah,</HI> and al&s;o rightly demean him&s;elfe towards Man-kinde, and the o|ther Creatures; It is nece&s;&s;ary to deter|mine wherein they con&s;i&s;t, and what is the full performance of them, which mu&s;t appeare, upon taking a full con&s;idera|tion of the Premi&s;es, concerning <HI>Jeho|vah,</HI> and al&s;o a true Examination, of the
<PB N="34" REF="18">Qualifications of Man, they being the Laws whereby he is to behave him&s;elf, as afore&s;aid, what therfore is proportionable and fit for us to do, Directly or Relatively, as the Rule for our performances. But &s;tay, we are, and always have been, deeply taxed with Prevarication; and that we are di&s;|abled of tho&s;e proportionable Endow|ments wherewith we were fitted, that we are now become full of Incon&s;tancy, Weakne&s;&s;e, Vanity, Vice, that our Opini|ons are meerely Complexionall, and that we will adhere to them, more than to the cleare&s;t clo&s;e&s;t Truths; And that wee will &s;acrifice our &s;elves in this our madne&s;&s;e to any lawle&s;&s;e Opinions; and &s;uch our de|&s;perate and di&s;orderly frenzine&s;&s;e, it is therefore nece&s;&s;ary for us to examine our &s;elves: For till we have rightly di&s;po&s;ed, or ballanced, or fadomed our &s;elves, our Apprehen&s;ions, Judgements, Wills, and Affections, mu&s;t be, not onely as wee are di&s;tempered, but al&s;o lead us ami&s;&s;e. It ap|peares before, that Originally wee were Right, and being created by <HI>Jehovah,</HI> for tho&s;e ends afore&s;aid, we had therefore a|bility &s;o to continue, without any Inclina|tion, or di&s;po&s;ition to the contrary: Bla&s;|phemous
<PB N="35" REF="18">therefore is the opinion, which concludes a nece&s;&s;ity of mans pre|varication, in that hee con&s;i&s;ts of Contra|ries, which warring civilly among them|&s;elves, mu&s;t procure it. Be it agreed to con|clude man now fallen; As <HI>Jehovah</HI> crea|ted Man good and perfect, from nothing, &s;o he created him to continue &s;o, from no|thing, as afore&s;aid: It is not therefore ne|ce&s;&s;ary that man &s;hould fall, though it ap|peares of nece&s;&s;ity that he is fallen, which will be made al&s;o apparant, in each parti|cular, by &s;ifting the endowments of man particularly. It appeares before, we were made to give full Honour and Wor&s;hip to <HI>Jehovah, &amp;c.</HI> But are we not now &s;carce able to acknowledge him, whom wee ought to Honour and Wor&s;hip? And un|able to conceive the Honour and Wor&s;hip which is to be done unto him, (of both which more hereafter:) Neither have we any free con&s;tant di&s;po&s;ition, and motion to performe it. Our mindes al&s;o are grown fully and wholly ill and vitious, and are as infectious one unto another, as a Plague|fore in one body is to another: Our minds delight in madne&s;&s;e, and it is a plea&s;ant thing &s;ometimes to be fooli&s;h, and there is not any vanity which will not pro|duce;
<PB N="36" REF="19">our &s;en&s;itive Power hath now the chiefe Rule of us, and even devoured our Under&s;tanding, and we runne Riot, be|ing violently, wilfully, and without re|gard of Under&s;tanding and Knowledge, of Goodne&s;&s;e, or the Honour and Wor&s;hip due to <HI>Jehovah,</HI> which are &s;haken off as unju&s;t Tyrannies, tran&s;ported to our Fancies and Lu&s;ts: Yea, our Under|&s;tanding hath al&s;o made a League too with it, is become a mighty inventer of Mi&s;chiefes, and pro&s;ecutes them with Ignominious Indu&s;try, whereby wee are become a Torment to our &s;elves and o|thers. Doe we not chiefely in&s;lave our &s;elves, to &s;en&s;uall, momentany, earthly things, and care not for Goodne&s;&s;e, Ad|vance of Under&s;tanding, and tho&s;e Du|rable things, which properly belong to us? But as <HI>Plutarch</HI> &s;aith, We are farre wor&s;e than Bea&s;ts, which keepe their cour&s;es and mea&s;ures: Where is that charitable Affection? that &s;ociable, &s;utable beha|viour? that &s;imple eaven clearene&s;&s;e, which is due to our fellow Creatures? Sure it con&s;i&s;ts not in Savage Gripings, Extortions, or Fawnings; in Simulations, and Profe&s;&s;ions of Vertue and Goodnes, thereby to gaine advantage to our &s;elves:
<PB N="37" REF="19">and &s;etting the &s;tampe of Vertue and Goodne&s;&s;e onely upon that which condu|ceth to our owne Ends: Nay, there is no exact Vertue and Goodne&s;&s;e to be found, no Mundane Graces without their &s;pots, (it not con&s;i&s;ting in covering or avoiding Vice, or doing good, for &s;omething el&s;e;) no Good without its Bad: And therefore as it is u&s;ele&s;&s;e and unprofitable here, &s;o al&s;o it is not &s;afe (I meane a Noble and univer&s;all Vertue, and Goodne&s;&s;e, not a &s;evere Habit, for particular Occa&s;ions, which is the highe&s;t Vice habiting her &s;elfe with, and &s;eating her &s;elfe in the place of Vertue) but is of nece&s;&s;ity, to be Artificiall, and receives its e&s;timate accor|ding to its Condition here, from the Proportion it carryes, with the Exigencies of Mutations: What need our Morall In|&s;tructions, our Lawes and Governments, (which were impertinent, but that we are Fooles and Knaves) if we are not out of Order? But how &s;hould this come to pa&s;&s;e? Certainly man could not &s;et him|&s;elfe to worke out his owne Ruine; nor could he take Pet again&s;t <HI>Jehovah,</HI> or have a minde aver&s;e from &s;erving him; neither would <HI>Iehovah</HI> carry any hard
<PB N="38" REF="20">hand over him: It mu&s;t bee therefore &s;ome Pride, or &s;uch a&s;piring, overweening carriage, as <HI>Plotine, Mercury,</HI> and <HI>Hie|roclius</HI> &s;ay, that mu&s;t procure this di&s;abili|ty: Upon which over-weening, a&s;piring carriage, mu&s;t follow of all; not to its true height and &s;overaigne goodne&s;&s;e, but to Vanity and Darkne&s;&s;e, below it &s;elfe, e|ven to Sen&s;uality; Vertue and Goodne&s;&s;e being wounded, and annihilated by rui|ning Vice: And Vertue and Goodne&s;&s;e dying, Man cannot but dye to Goodne&s;&s;e. Which hath been of long long continu|ance, even beyond all humane Antiquity, (yet mu&s;t ari&s;e from One, from whom all have de&s;cended, all being &s;o alike defiled, and ari&s;eth not from any Con&s;tellation, or Imitation) and for ought as appeares yet, it may be from Eternity, it appearing be|fore the World, may bee from Eternity: However <HI>Iehovah</HI> is Eternall, and there|fore Man is an infinite Tran&s;gre&s;&s;or; And &s;o hath with all his Pudder, reduced him|&s;elf to a infinite wor&s;e condition than ju&s;t nothing: Con&s;ider wee but the Vanities, Vices, Hobgoblins, of one dayes Words, and Actions, what &s;ay we when we &s;hall have &s;uch a Collection of our whole lives?
<PB N="39" REF="20">When we &s;hall &s;ee &s;uch Forre&s;ts of Wilde Bea&s;ts, and &s;uch Sources of Errors and Vices? and yet wee are not Sen&s;ible of the&s;e Truths; and therefore we are Ill to Death, and our Malady is Mortall, or rather Immortall: It appearing Man is an infi|nite Tran&s;gre&s;&s;or, and that there is an E|ternity for man to come, wherein are Re|wards and Puni&s;hments; and therefore Puni&s;hments being our due, wee mu&s;t ex|pect an Eternity in Puni&s;hment. What cour&s;e &s;hall wee take to bee freed from this overwhelming Mi&s;ery? Can an In|finite Excellent Being be brought to enter into a Reconciliation with a meere Ani|mall, an unju&s;t nothing, which hath entred into a Rebellion again&s;t his Soveraigne Good, for meere Vanity? Thereby de|&s;troying the end of his determined Ope|rations, as afore&s;aid: What if there bee Perfection of Heroick Vertue in him, kee|ping him from Revenge, and taking occa|&s;ion to torment Man; but making him, &s;light, yea pitty him? Yet it appeares he is nece&s;&s;arily ju&s;t, and cannot admit Vice to goe unpunished: What if man humbled him&s;elfe, for that the Tre&s;pa&s;&s;e was by Pride? yet was not ju&s;tice &s;atisfied, and
<PB N="40" REF="21">right admini&s;tred, though there be there|fore Infinitene&s;&s;e of Heroicke Vertue in him, and Humility enough in us: yet a|gain&s;t the Opinion of <HI>Hierocles,</HI> (becau&s;e &s;ure he could goe no further) man, unle&s;&s;e he make &s;atisfaction to Ju&s;tice, cannot be di&s;charged: And how can Man that is finite, &s;uppo&s;e he were not vitious in all his Actions, &s;atisfie for his Offence Infi|nite, as afore&s;aid? Onely, by &s;uffering an Infinite time, that, which he being fi|nite, cannot &s;uffer in time; therefore hee cannot be relieved for that &s;atisfaction to Ju&s;tice mu&s;t bee given by that very kinde which hath offended. Well therefore may the <HI>Platoni&s;ts</HI> confe&s;&s;e, That they know not how it may be done; yet it ap|peares, that one mans &s;atisfaction, will &s;a|tisfie Ju&s;tice for all: for it is not a meere per&s;onall fault in man, as the Philo&s;ophers hold, but is in the Nature of man, it com|ming by one mans fault, as afore&s;aid; and therefore exact Ju&s;tice is &s;atisfied by one mans &s;uffering: But it appeares before, as impo&s;&s;ible for man to give &s;atisfaction, as for a finite thing to make an infinite: There can therefore bee no meanes for Mans Reliefe, but from <HI>Jehovah</HI> him&s;elfe,
<PB N="41" REF="21">even miraculou&s;ly; And therefore mira|cles mu&s;t be done to make it knowne un|to us. And hath not this Excellent Infi|nite <HI>Jehovah,</HI> to Actuate his Goodne&s;&s;e and Wi&s;edome, ordayned &s;ome way, whereby Man may be di&s;charged? Is hee not Infinitely mercifull, and as much Mer|cy as Ju&s;tice? and doth it lye &s;u&s;pended, though it be a pure Act, as afore&s;aid: And &s;eeing many have found out their preva|rication, and di&s;abilitie, and endeavoured to have avoided it, as afore&s;aid; Hath not Mercy &s;trove with Ju&s;tice for a Re|conciliation? Are not all men ab&s;olutely in this ca&s;e? And doth not <HI>Jehovah</HI> de&s;ire, even Will, that there be a performance of the End of his Externall Operations, and that there &s;hould be a joyfull parta|king of Eternity for man (and a Repara|tion of the Ruine introduced by the Fall of Lucifer and his Angels, as &s;ome con|ceive) as at fir&s;t was allotted? Sure it is not in the &s;trength, much le&s;s in the weak|ne&s;&s;e of man, and in his po&s;&s;ible imperfe|ctions, to hinder him: And &s;ure there is &s;ome way of accommodation, otherwi&s;e Ju&s;tice would long agoe have &s;eized upon many, even temporally here. Al&s;o <HI>Jeho|vah</HI>
<PB N="42" REF="22">is as Infinitely mercifull, beyond our Conceivings, as his Being is, as afore&s;aid. Let it be carefully con&s;idered therefore in our en&s;uing Di&s;cour&s;e, if any &s;uch action can bee di&s;covered, and then &s;ticke wee there, when we are well; and there mu&s;t we finde the Excellent, Infinite <HI>Iehovah,</HI> as afore&s;aid; And it will be an undenyable Argument, That wee are in the ready way to performe the end of his Externall Ope|rations. Therefore al&s;o the true examina|tion of the Indowments, and Operations of man, mu&s;t be tran&s;acted, with a minde Strong, Faire and &s;ound, and duely tem|pered, freed from all Selfe-love, Intempe|rancies, Vanities of Imagination, and Anxieties; Goodne&s;&s;e and Simplicity mu&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the heart: Then let a clear, bright, high under&s;tanding, advanced and regula|lated by Arts and Experience, take the &s;trict Dictates of our owne mindes; then &s;oare abroad and take a view, of the Ver|tues and Goodne&s;&s;e of old time, (and of all times) and let their Actions where they are Good and Vertuous, be a Proofe even Demon&s;trative unto us, they being neare the Truth; for though the knowledge of the Creatures, and things produced by rea|&s;on,
<PB N="43" REF="22">receive Advance and Perfection in time, yet ingrafted Principles cannot, they being not capable of Addition; and al&s;o they being neare an Obliteration, through our Prevarication, as afore&s;aid: Ob&s;erve wee therefore, what the &s;trong, Good, un&s;u&s;pected Sages, and Fathers have left unto us; And that no Errors, Vi|ces, Deviations may defile us, let not any Cu&s;tome of manner of Education, Tradi|tion, <HI>Ip&s;e dixit, virtus &s;pecifica contra ne|gantem Principia;</HI> no ornament of Speech, no Extravagant or &s;pecious Pretences, or Actions, exerci&s;e any Tyranny up|on our duely enfranchi&s;ed minde, or put a Cheat upon us, with Errour to boot. The Conclu&s;ion therefore is, That man could have known, and done, the end for which he was made; but that he is totally preva|ricated, unable to &s;atisfie Offences pa&s;t, to know or doe for the time to come, and mu&s;t u&s;e his be&s;t meanes to looke out for his Cure and remedy.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="44" REF="23">
<HEAD>Where is the true Rule for Per|formance; And the way for full Re&s;tauration.</HEAD>
<P>IT appearing that herein mu&s;t bee &s;et downe the true Rule for the per|formance of <HI>Iehovah's</HI> End in its Externall Operations, which mu&s;t bee done as we would have Good and Happine&s;&s;e, and a|voyd Infelicity: As al&s;o that here mu&s;t be di&s;covered our Cure and Remedy, where|by wee may bee relieved again&s;t our ex|treame Di&s;abilities and en&s;uing mi&s;erie, as afore&s;aid; U&s;e therefore is to be made of our mo&s;t Impartial, true&s;t examinations, and exacte&s;t diligence; wee being utterly and Eternally wretched, if it be mi&s;taken. This Rule of Performance, (u&s;ually cal|led Religion, as the Tye or Bond upon the Creature to performe the Duties belon|ging to the Creator) is but one, in Sub|&s;tance; for <HI>Iehovah</HI> is but one, to whom it is to be performed; and all men are ab|&s;olutely
<PB N="45" REF="23">in the &s;ame Condition, as afore|&s;aid. This Religion requires onely &s;uch Performances, as are Proportionable for Man to know and doe to <HI>Jehovah;</HI> and as are agreeable to the Powers and Qua|lifications of Man, as afore&s;aid: wherein though there are Generall and Grievous Di&s;abilities; yet mans minde duely di&s;|po&s;ed, hath Ability to di&s;cerne and judge rightly, as before; For though it ap|peares, Man lo&s;t his good Qualifications, yet not his Rea&s;on and Under&s;tanding, we al&s;o continuing men as before: and it appearing al&s;o hereafter, that <HI>Jehovah</HI> hath appointed a way for mans Directi|on and Re&s;tauration. Let us therefore examine our Religion by them; and in tho&s;e things for Knowledge or Action, which con&s;i&s;t in Quality, as Goodne&s;&s;e, Badne&s;&s;e, Vertue, Vice, either Po&s;i|tive, or in Degrees, Let us therefore imbrace them, though they are thwarting, or above our pre&s;ent Tempers and Na|tures. Therefore wee cannot mi&s;&s;e the Truth, for that either there hath been, or will be, &s;ome right Service and Wor|&s;hip performed unto <HI>Iehovah,</HI> it being the end of his externall Operations, as
<PB N="46" REF="24">afore&s;aid, whereof he cannot bee di&s;ap|pointed or hindred. Examine wee there|fore the Religions of the World, Begin|ning before the foure fir&s;t Monarchies, (which cannot be very farre from the In|fancy of the World; for then was the In|vention of Sciences, there being al&s;o not many People, or any Record or Me|moriall extant of further time, but onely that there had beene a generall Deluge of the World: yet all Sciences could not thereby be quite de&s;troyed and forgotten, &s;eeing &s;ome of Man-kinde did and mu&s;t remaine, neither their Memorialls total|ly de&s;troyed; for their Letters were in|graved in Tables of Lead, &amp;c. And &s;ure there was but this one generall Deluge, for the Rea&s;ons given before: And al&s;o, &s;ure we &s;hould have had &s;ome notice of them, as of this and other Particular Deluges.) <HI>Hermes,</HI> &s;aith one, the true God, made man; Man made gods; and into the&s;e Images, Fiends, Evill Spirits, partly voluntarily, partly by the Art Ma|gicke of Man, entred into them, and were wor&s;hipped by men; and that <HI>Mercurie</HI> &s;hi Grandfather at that time was wor|hispped as one of the greate&s;t gods, hee
<PB N="47" REF="24">having &s;et up his Statue, and by Art Ma|gicke, brought a Fiend into it. Thus was Religion, except the Religion declared by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> who lived in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> which Religion is the mo&s;t Ancient, that is re|corded or remembred; of this Religion, (our end and &s;tay is there) hereafter. In the Monarchies among the A&s;&s;yrians, there were &s;o many gods, as Townes, among the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> as Starres, among the <HI>Gre|cians,</HI> as Fancies, among the <HI>Romans,</HI> as were in the World (and more too) except onely the true God, as appeares hereafter; which was not there admitted, though allowed &s;ome re&s;pect by them, in the Countrey of the Jewes, becau&s;e (as <HI>Ci|cero</HI> &s;aith) That God be&s;eemed not the Maje&s;ty of their Empire (<HI>Anabis</HI> and <HI>Pryapus</HI> did.) It is true, the great <HI>Ieho|vah</HI> became not that Maje&s;ty of their Em|pire, which was not only as High but A|bove their Wor&s;hipfull gods, which were created by it, who&s;e Temples were their Tombes: The Devotions done unto them, Old Wives Tales, Their Originals, Educa|tions, Lifes, Deaths, Pedigrees, may be ea&s;ily &s;et downe: for <HI>Varro</HI> hath been ve|ry carefull of his gods, le&s;t (as hee &s;aith)
<PB N="48" REF="25">they might partake of &s;o great a misfor|tune as to be lo&s;t. Sure it is impo&s;&s;ible, that &s;o learned, &s;o gallant a Man &s;hould bee &s;o &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e, &s;o mad <HI>Quoad hoc;</HI> &s;o that it is to be thought, he feared men (as well hee might do) more than tho&s;e his gods. Well then might this bee a time to make men gods; their flattering Minions making them by their Images and Idolls meere I|deots; yea the mo&s;t vitious, unhewen, and Bea&s;tlie&s;t men (for none el&s;e &s;ure would be) &s;ought to be, and were made gods for&s;ooth. We will not meddle more to o|pen our Predece&s;&s;ors Nakedne&s;&s;e, than to perceive the truth of things; onely the hone&s;t Tooth-Drawer, god <HI>E&s;culapius,</HI> (no le&s;&s;e I promi&s;e you) becau&s;e the half-headed <HI>Iulian</HI> for&s;ooke <HI>Iehovah</HI> for him, (wherein this our Di&s;cour&s;e renders him more Knave than Foole) becau&s;e hee had not &s;o good a mind to &s;erve <HI>Iehovah</HI> as <HI>A|braham</HI> did, it being but of latter time we cannot &s;o ea&s;ily pa&s;&s;e over; <HI>Iulian</HI> hath been at the paines, in Honour of him, to draw this wonderfull gods Pedigree from <HI>Iupiter;</HI> and de&s;cending by the Sun, &s;tiled him Child of Heaven: but &s;eeing no le&s;&s;e Pdi gree will &s;erve his turne, under Fa|vour
<PB N="49" REF="25">I &s;hall &s;tile him this once. Childe of the Earth: for he was (as a man may &s;ay) A Ba&s;tard, be it by <HI>Apollo's</HI> Prie&s;tes, or <HI>A|pollo</HI> him&s;elfe, (it matters not whether) by faire <HI>Corinis:</HI> Poore <HI>Iulian</HI> thou art a lit|tle mi&s;taken; For <HI>Coronis</HI> was but one of the lower Forme, <HI>Venus</HI> at mo&s;t. What though the&s;e Gods (that would be re&s;em|bled by Images, mans workman&s;hip, and tho&s;e none of the be&s;t neither, but ugly in|favoured Images (like them&s;elves) where|in they were as wi&s;e as their Wor&s;hipers, who may very well goe together) have done things be&s;ide the ordinary cour&s;e of man, (it is very hard if their Fiend, their Devill, or their God-head could not doe &s;omething extraordinary) As their <HI>Ho|cus Pocus Legerdemaine</HI> Miracles, which were not done, but to their Favourable, Gentle Spectators, who at mo&s;t, had ra|ther tru&s;t than try. And their Prophecy|ings, (the wi&s;e&s;t whereof tho&s;e at <HI>Delphos</HI> were u&s;ually infu&s;ed into young Wenches by their Privy parts) which were alwayes in generalties and and incertainties, and ordinarily in the untruths too; and were done onely by Naturall Cau&s;es, <HI>Apollo</HI> divers times complaining, that hee could
<PB N="54" REF="26">not re&s;olve things moved unto him, the Po&s;ition of the Starres being divers from his Ob&s;ervation and Rules. And it is &s;aid, that Man is capable to doe any &s;uch Acti|ons, yea any Action that a Fiend can doe; Mans &s;oule is an Image and Re&s;emblance of &s;pirituall things as the body of tem|porall things, as afore&s;aid: And the&s;e Acti|ons were done by vitious Agents, their Actions being vitious, di&s;honourable to <HI>Ichovah,</HI> and Man-kinde al&s;o. The Ser|vices done to the&s;e gods were not onely Vitious, but Cruell and &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e, men Offring their Children, and them&s;elves un|to them: Actions that proceed not from the Qualifications of Man, as afore&s;aid: And all the my&s;teries of their Service were but Schooles of Villany: yea the&s;e Gods them&s;elves being more capacious, and partaking of a greater Latitude of Evill, commanded even the greate&s;t E|vills to be done, over and above their Or|dinary Service, as a &s;atisfaction due unto them. Al&s;o as <HI>Cicero</HI> ob&s;erves; Why was there not a cour&s;e taken concerning the Inward Motions of the Minde? Or a puni&s;hment for them? Nay there was no Prohibition or Puni&s;hment, but ful|le&s;t
<PB N="55" REF="26">In&s;tructions, and directe&s;t meanes were made u&s;e of by the&s;e gods them|&s;elves, for the utmo&s;t Advance of all Vice and Bruti&s;hne&s;&s;e, and for the making of Men, Devills indeed, like them&s;elves. The inward evills, the evill of the heart, is knowne onely by <HI>Iehovah,</HI> the true God, who made the minde, and knowes it; and with which hee is chiefely to bee ho|noured and wor&s;hipped, as before: Is there here any &s;atisfaction to ju&s;tice for mans offences, which mu&s;t bee in the true Religion, as afore&s;aid? Can it con|&s;i&s;t in the Barbarous killing of Men and Children? which can bee no other than Heaps of Villany, and Bla&s;phemies again&s;t <HI>Iehovah,</HI> or in Offring to him the Quin|te&s;&s;ence of Vice? an Offring for the devill. It is too evident the&s;e kindes of gods reach not our former Conclu&s;ions, and there are too many of them to bee good: Vanity therefore, and bea&s;tly Bru|ti&s;h Idolatry was and is in a great part of the World, which (to &s;atisfie onely their Follies, not medling further with their vices) under a Tyrannicall, Ignoble, Scoundrell Super&s;tition, even to the &s;hame and aba&s;hment of Man-kinde, make finite
<PB N="52" REF="27">weake Beings, fooli&s;h madde Opinions, and Conceits, yea meare Phanta&s;mes a Deity, their God; Though if we &s;hould pieke and chu&s;e, &s;ome of their Gods were Men, &s;ome of them as Gods, and &s;ome as Devills among men, yet dependant and Mortall, not Gods of Men. The &s;ayings of &s;ome of their wi&s;e men, which would &s;peake out a little, nay of a whole Nation, that they were not clean &s;otti&s;h, to account &s;uch things gods, but onely allowed them a &s;uperiority for &s;ome excellency in them, (Although it is true, Civill Re&s;pect was onely in the Beginning thereof; but af|terwards being di&s;gui&s;ed in Hi&s;tory be|came changed) cleareth them not of it; For tho&s;e that they accounted of for Ci|vill Government, or State-Merit, or no|torious villany, were by them wor&s;hipped, as Demy Inferior Gods: Tho&s;e which found out or performed, and perfected, &s;ome materiall Thing, for the &s;u&s;tenance or well Being of Man, had the highe&s;t Wor&s;hip, as to the greate&s;t gods, done un|to them; <HI>Scavola</HI> a High Prie&s;t among the <HI>Romans</HI> ranked his Gods into Poetical, Philo&s;ophicall, and Politicall, whereof &s;ome of them were not at all to be known
<PB N="53" REF="27">by the People. Having had enough of the&s;e gods, Come wee now (di&s;carding all Thought or Memory of them) to the o|ther Religion, which is anciente&s;t, and was received in <HI>Pale&s;tine, Canaan,</HI> or <HI>Iu|dea,</HI> by the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> or <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> which obtained the Province of <HI>Syria</HI> to them|&s;elves; with whom alone from the Crea|tion of the world the Knowledge and Wor&s;hip of the true God, and the fir&s;t forme of &s;peech continued, and is con|tained in a Book u&s;ually called the Old Te|&s;tament, not de&s;troyed, or corrupted, or altered, in the many &s;ad De&s;olations of that Kingdome, or the Ruines of any time; that in the Front containes; <HI>In the Be|ginning God Created, &amp;c.</HI> And in all points as there manife&s;tly appeares runnes pa|rallell both in Relation to the Creator, or Creatures, either in them&s;elves, or in Re|lation one unto the other, either directly or con&s;equently, with our former conclu|&s;ions: And therefore it is the true Reli|gion; And therefore, and for the Rea&s;ons hereafter wee mu&s;t agree with all tho&s;e which have received it, That the Booke called the Old Te&s;tament, was compiled by the &s;peciall Ordination and A&s;&s;i&s;tance
<PB N="50" REF="28">of <HI>Iehovah</HI> in man, notwith&s;tanding the Objections, That it appearing Man hath the proportion in him as afore&s;aid; And al&s;o for that the I&s;raelites had expre&s;&s;e rules by Tradition, to relieve their di&s;a|bilities, contracted by Mans Prevaricati|on; for they would not have received and undergone many things, therein contai|ned, as upon the Opinion and Will of a Man; And for that the great <HI>Iehovah,</HI> would &s;ure have done it by &s;ome higher cour&s;e, whereby it would have appeared clearely and manife&s;tly to have been done by him; Therefore it may bee done by man onely, who is too ready to doe mi&s;|chievous Actions, and to fall into Error, to which Su&s;pition and Doubt it is liable. But this cannot bee the &s;ole Act of man without Gods &s;peciall Ordination and A&s;|&s;i&s;tance: For man here truely, and al|wayes Declares the vices and weakne&s;&s;es of him&s;elfe, and all his, chargeth and condemneth him&s;elfe and them fully, and throughly; affects not Reputation or Ho|nour, or any thing, but neglects and waves Honour, Ea&s;e, and any other thing, and willingly undergoes, chu&s;eth, glories and delighteth in mi&s;ery, even death it &s;elfe
<PB N="51" REF="28">that he may performe <HI>Iehovah's</HI> Honour and Wor&s;hip, and declare the good and right way, though there was no formall humour thereof, then in fa&s;hion. And though merit and Prai&s;e were worthily allowed there by other Authors, which were no great Friends; And can the&s;e things &s;o neare and deare to man, bee al|wayes waved by him, without any re|&s;ervation or alteration? No more zea|lous or loud, not more frequent in fin|ding out u&s;efull Directions, where Profit, Honour, Popularity, or &s;ome other Intere&s;t is concerned, or &s;ome glimmering thereof may be perceived, than where it concerns <HI>Iehovab's</HI> Honor and Wor&s;hip, and Good|ne&s;&s;e, and Truth, with the lo&s;&s;e of them; &s;o that <HI>Iehovah's</HI> right Honour and Wor|&s;hip, bare Goodne&s;&s;e, and naked Truth, are the full De&s;igne, and onely End: And in Order whereunto all of man is fully and wholly waved, and laid a&s;ide. It is al&s;o concerning matters Eternall and In|finite, and many other things, not con&s;e|quents, or derived from Nature, out Con|comitant. And (notwith&s;tanding it was made not long from the Infancy of the World, when it was but in an unfurni&s;hed condition, as afore&s;aid) is in the whole fit
<PB N="56" REF="29">and proper, and altogether free from vice and errour, (although its &s;ubject matter be various, above the apprehen&s;ion or con|ceit of man) and in &s;ome parts exceeding full and &s;ignificant, (as the containing all vertue and goodne&s;&s;e in ten Commande|dements (the which are abridged in two Sentences, <HI>Love God with all thy heart, thy Neighbour as thy &s;elfe.</HI>) Its &s;everall Prophe&s;ies (being the maine part there|of) made by &s;everall Per&s;ons at &s;everall Times, &s;o farre di&s;tant from them&s;elves, or their accompli&s;hment, &s;o particular, certaine, of &s;uch concordance, and &s;o fully accompli&s;hed though not at all depending upon Naturall Cau&s;es, or to be foretold by them, (which onely hold a meane betwixt Nece&s;&s;ity and Chance) although they were fully and exactly knowne, demon|&s;trate it to have been done by the Ordina|tion of <HI>Iehovah;</HI> The Prophets were likewi&s;e men &s;tricken in yeares; &s;o that though it could bee proved, whereas <HI>Fru&s;tra fit Potentia que non reducitur in Actum,</HI> That Prophecying is a power Naturall (or Artificiall, or Daemoniacall, or what they will) as Conceiving is for the pre&s;ent, and Memory for things pa&s;t,
<PB N="57" REF="29">yet they mu&s;t have &s;uch want of Heat, and defect of Imagination, that they could not thereby &s;o truely performe it; for it is agreed, tho&s;e mu&s;t bee intended, even to de&s;traction, if it be not rationally con|cluded from true Principles. Al&s;o man of &s;o much Sen&s;e and Honour, could not be &s;o Foole-hardy, upon his owne credit, and his bare word, &s;o po&s;itively, and maje&s;ti|cally, without Grounds of Rea&s;on, and Principles maintaining his Conclu&s;ions, to have ju&s;tified his di&s;cour&s;e, (which though the Philo&s;ophers therefore &s;lighted, though it bee an Argument again&s;t them, it being al&s;o concerning Principles and Grounds of Being which ought not, not cannot come within the virge of Proof by Principles, but only be declared) although there were no written, Foot-&s;teps before, and have charged the ob&s;ervance therof, even in things of highe&s;t Concernment equally upon all. Hee by whom it was done, mu&s;t either be a wi&s;e good man, or a fooli&s;h and bad man: If he were wi&s;e and good, how dared he to Arrogate &s;o much to him&s;elfe, even many times the Per&s;on of <HI>Iehovah</HI> him&s;elfe? And how could he doe &s;uch an Act to befoole Man kinde,
<PB N="62" REF="30">where there is no Advantage to him&s;elfe? If he were fooli&s;h or bad, how could he doe a good thing &s;o exactly? be &s;o fully for <HI>Jehovah's</HI> Honour and Wor&s;hip, and Mans Welfare? be &s;o throughly for ver|tue and goodne&s;&s;e? and trace &s;o exactly the wayes of Truth, the Birth of upright|ne&s;&s;e? For though the verie&s;t Devill many times will &s;eeme an Angell of Light, yet it is meerely an affected Out|&s;ide, under a faire vi&s;age, to make an Ad|vantage, not to bee &s;table there, but dri|ving on to &s;ome Conclu&s;ion De&s;tructive. And although man had &s;uch a Proportion as afore&s;aid, yet it appeares how grie|vou&s;ly he is di&s;abled, &s;o that man in gene|rall, nay the greater part, nay the exacte&s;t of men, cannot attaine to a due know|ledge, nor di&s;cover a meanes for their di&s;charge and repaire; as appeares by the confu&s;ed rambling erroneous Opinions of the able Philo&s;ophers, who though they vented many things concerning our pre|&s;ent Truths, yet in Truth, they mi&s;&s;ed, (neither can there be gathered from them &s;carce good Problemes) they being mix|ed with &s;o much foppery and vanity; And to attaine &s;o farre, they al&s;o were
<PB N="63" REF="30">either <HI>Aegyptians,</HI> or came into <HI>Aegypt</HI> for In&s;truction, or received <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Prin|ciples by Tradition, (though they &s;lighted them, becau&s;e there was no Probation of them, yet gave their approbation to them) and generally the farther in &s;ituation of Region, or &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of time, they were from <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the more phanta&s;tically, vain and erroneous. That which a wi&s;e man knoweth al&s;o, he delivers not &s;o certainly, and po&s;&s;itively; nor hath it &s;ufficient &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, for as <HI>Richelieu</HI> joynes them, Rea&s;on is contradicting, Nature is corrup|ted; That al&s;o which procured the grea|te&s;t Admiration, in the Certainty and Beauty of Truths, which procures the greate&s;t Delight, is &s;ubject to fall off. And <HI>Porphiry,</HI> one of the exacte&s;t Knowers, notwith&s;tanding his great knowledge, be|tooke him&s;elfe (as to the &s;urer &s;ide for the Pre&s;ent) to the Faction of the &s;econd School of the Epicures. And although the I&s;raelites had expre&s;&s;e Rules by Tradition, (yet not concerning mo&s;t things contained in this Scripture, neither was the Scripture compiled (except in &s;ome main things) til Tradition was &s;ilent: Good and gracious therfore was <HI>Iehovah</HI> in giving us our duty
<PB N="60" REF="31">Writing, for if we were not able to know the generall and plaine parts of it, how &s;hould wee every particular and higher Action? <HI>Iehovah,</HI> before it was written, had tryed all other meanes with us; for when our vices and errors, had in a man|ner blotted out the Law, fir&s;t imprinted on our Natures, then was there, through a due Con&s;titution of Minde, a Tradition, as Sir <HI>Walter Rawleigh</HI> hath it, of this Law: It was then the next cour&s;e, unle&s;&s;e hee had left man in his blindne&s;&s;e, for <HI>Iehovah</HI> to take, when man became &s;o corrupted, that his Law was choaked and razed out of Man, and Tradition al&s;o, (except in &s;ome few principall things) cea&s;ed. This fully &s;atisfies the other Cavill, for that <HI>Iehovah</HI> did not in &s;ome higher cour&s;e ma|nife&s;t it and &s;et it off with a greater clear|ne&s;&s;e, it being concerning ingrafted Principles, and a Law imprinted upon the Heart; and the next way to Tradition, which was next to that imprinting of it on mans heart, and therefore certaine and &s;ufficient to man. It followes therefore, notwith&s;tanding the Cavills, That it was made up of the pickings and chu&s;ings of the vanities of former time, (they being
<PB N="61" REF="31">&s;o like, I trowe, as appeares before) and that it is a Remnant of the Religion of the former Times, (which is true onely, as before, and no more, than as the Truth is before the Fable,) And that it was the more exact, becau&s;e the Jewes, were per|fect in A&s;tronomy and Magick, (than which nothing is there more forbidden, nor any thing made more u&s;e of, by the fal&s;e gods, &amp;c.) That, that which is du|ly contained in the Old-Te&s;tament, is done, by a &s;peciall power, and Ordination, of <HI>Iehovah;</HI> It being al&s;o cleare by the re|&s;pective Hi&s;tories of Nations, (which con|taine many things, over and above what is therein contained, though they were no Friends to the Jewes) the matters of Fact (being the works of a God) to bee true, And that it was not compiled at one time, and &s;o cunningly made up, each part to an&s;wer the whole, but directly that it was made in Succe&s;&s;ion of Time, and at tho&s;e times either of which the Inditors write; or tho&s;e they particularly mention. And though the Jewes were but few, (One true Under&s;tanding is better, than a hun|dred thou&s;and, Counterfeit or Deficient, it not being there, as in Burdens where
<PB N="58" REF="32">through many, helpe may be contributed: And we are to follow one cleare-&s;ighted, before a blinde or darke World) and al|mo&s;t in greate&s;t and con&s;tant Afflictions (Temporall things bee neither fit for <HI>Ie|hovah</HI> to give, or Man to receive) yet thereby every man, became a Preacher for the True God; and as <HI>Seneca</HI> ob&s;erves of that Nation, That they being overcome alwayes prevailed, and though vanqui|&s;hed, (by what meanes he knowes not) overcame their Conquerors, and gave Lawes and Religion unto them; For ma|ny of the Conquerors acknowledged, the Jewes God and his Wor&s;hip to bee the true: yea, no &s;erious Heathen man ever ab&s;olutely denyed it: But the Jewes ne|ver would acknowledge any other, And rather &s;uffered all mi&s;eries than for&s;ooke it. Therefore al&s;o notwith&s;tanding this Direction or Rule from <HI>Iehovah,</HI> contra|ry to the forward Conceits of Ignorant, Narrow mindes, Man mu&s;t be prepared with tho&s;e things which are required to make him of a true Under&s;tanding and Judgement, For its chiefe purpo&s;e is for the redre&s;&s;e and Direction of Qualities and Manners, as afore&s;aid; as al&s;o for the
<PB N="59" REF="32">Inabling our under&s;tandings, where the Be&s;t pre&s;ent &s;tate of our Naturall Abilities are deficient; It being al&s;o &s;ubject to &s;e|verall Sen&s;es and Con&s;tructions, as other things are, and requiring our Prudence and Under&s;tanding. Looke we therefore con&s;tantly into that perfect Rule, which therefore will &s;hew unto us our ugly De|formities, whether outward or inward (a Di&s;covery fit onely for the true God, as afore&s;aid.) And therefore this Scripture will be a Schoole-Ma&s;ter to &s;hew us, and to drive us to looke for our proper Cure and Remedy, without which wee re|maine &s;till utterly lo&s;t, as afore&s;aid; And without &s;uch a Cure and Remedy revea|led in it to what purpo&s;e? Unles to breed De&s;paration, which produceth violent fearefull effects, which would be but Cru|elty and Vanity? Should a Rule or Scripture bee di&s;covered to vitious Man? And al&s;o in &s;eeking for a Cure and Reme|dy, we mu&s;t look onely towards <HI>Jehovah,</HI> as afore&s;aid: And in it we finde, that up|on the Examination of the Originall &s;inne, there was a Saviour declared: and it ap|peares there, That he &s;hould bee the Eter|nall Word the Sonne of God, who &s;hould
<PB N="64" REF="33">take upon him the Seed of man, become fle&s;h, and &s;uffer for mans &s;inne; there be|ing one Truth in Scripture: and Rea&s;on; is not here according to our former Con|clu&s;ions, Man to &s;uffer for the Offence, God to overcome? and by rea&s;on of the u|nion contracted with mans Nature, to &s;uf|fer al&s;o thereby to make up a full infinite Satisfaction, even as Infinite as <HI>Iehovah</HI> him&s;elfe, as it mu&s;t bee, as afore&s;aid; But as it is not therefore requi&s;ite to Ju&s;tice, &s;o it is impo&s;&s;ible, according to the Con|ceits of &s;ome, That this Word, or Son of God &s;hould &s;uffer in his very E&s;&s;ence, it being the &s;ame with <HI>Iehovah</HI> him&s;elfe, as afore&s;aid. Al&s;o, though it were nece&s;|&s;ary, in re&s;pect of Union with the Divine Nature, that it &s;hould be pure, that was to &s;uffer; yet it was not nece&s;&s;ary to Sa|tisfaction, as is conceived, for a &s;ufficient Infinite &s;atisfaction by Mans Nature mu&s;t di&s;charge Man kinde to exact Ju&s;tice, as afore&s;aid. Let us therefore &s;ee if this &s;a|tisfaction be performed, although it bee not nece&s;&s;ary, as &s;ome have weakly Ima|gined, That this &s;hould be performed be|fore there is any Benefit to bee received thereby, for a certaine, though after per|formance,
<PB N="65" REF="33">of what is due to Ju&s;tice is &s;uf|ficient, e&s;pecially to <HI>Jehovah,</HI> to whom, all Time and Things, are as Actually and Really, as they are in them&s;elves pre&s;ent. In this Old Te&s;tament we finde it onely declared, not performed: for although in many parts of it, it &s;peaks a pre&s;ent per|formance; But that is onely in determi|nation, and benefit of it, at that pre&s;ent time to them: Seeke wee therefore if we can finde &s;ince any performance of it; for it is nece&s;&s;ary that it bee &s;ometimes done. In a Booke called the New Te&s;ta|ment, or Go&s;pell, We finde there was a full punctuall performance; This Booke running al&s;o parallel with our former con|clu&s;ions, partaking likewi&s;e of the Sen&s;e of tho&s;e Rea&s;ons, which concluded us, that the old Te&s;tament was by the &s;peciall Power and Ordination of <HI>Iehovah</HI> in man; wee mu&s;t agree that this is &s;o al&s;o, and that the Saviour therein mentioned, is the right Saviour. But in this our ra|tionall Di&s;cour&s;e, wee neither meddle with Jewes nor Turkes, which admit the Old Te&s;tament, (and e&s;pecially the Jews) the Controver&s;ies chiefely depending up|on
<PB N="66" REF="34">Scripture Contents, and therefore is not proper to bee decided in this place. The&s;e two Te&s;taments therefore laying downe and declaring what man is to know or doe to or concerning <HI>Iehovah,</HI> and Declaring the Meanes for mans full Re&s;tauration, hath therein all, that man is to know, or doe; and Declares <HI>Ieho|vah's</HI> will fully. Here is the true Reli|gion, it declaring a true God, a right Service, and a &s;ufficient Saviour for Man|kinde: To what purpo&s;e &s;erve the Pa|gans and Infidells Barbarous Sacrifices, in Offering men Infinite onely in Of|fences? The Jewes Lambe, a vaine and &s;moaky &s;avour? <HI>Mahomets</HI> Prayers, In|juries and Trea&s;ons again&s;t <HI>Iehovah?</HI> The Beginnings onely and no other, (as <HI>Por|phery</HI> &s;aith) being able for it. And mu&s;t we not now, in wonder, and ravi&s;hing A&s;toni&s;hment adore the Infinite good|ne&s;&s;e, Wi&s;edome, and Power of <HI>Ieho|vah</HI> our Creator and Recreator? Was not the Act of our Redemption, the Act of Wi&s;edome, the &s;econd Being in the Trinity: And are not Goodne&s;&s;e and Power Infinitely appearing in it? Wee
<PB N="67" REF="34">are therefore Bound, and Bound againe to make good our &s;econd Conclu&s;ion, with our Mouthes and Hearts, and to kindle our benummed Abilities to a con|&s;tant zealous endeavour of Obedience, making <HI>Jehovah</HI> our onely end, Hee beeing the Aiming Point, for our Un|der&s;tanding and Judgement, the Per|fect welfare for our Will, and the &s;ole continuing re&s;ting Point to the whole man, and farre more, in the Fruition, and Actuall partaking of, then in the De&s;ire, or Speculation, which is his &s;ole Felicity, which mu&s;t bee above that it makes happy: ca&s;ting away Riches, as Earthly things, con&s;i&s;ting onely in Fancy, and Opinion, and mighty pro|curers of Vice, uncertaine, and not fit to be de&s;ired for them&s;elves: Voluptu|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e as Sen&s;uality, &s;oone partaking of Turmoiles and di&s;contents, Unle&s;&s;e that of the Under&s;tanding, which is the highe&s;t Plea&s;ure, and mu&s;t terminate on <HI>Iehovah,</HI> as afore&s;aid, Honours, as Bla&s;ts of men, and Shadowes of o|ther things, even Vanity, a Multipli|cation of many Mi&s;chiefes for nothing,
<PB N="68" REF="35">And Policy which meddles onely with the Vaine Things of this world, and and hath &s;uch a Tincture and Mixture of Vice and Mi&s;chiefe, (Wee &s;peake not of true Wi&s;edome (which al&s;o is onely a cure to make Man-kinde it &s;elfe) the deare&s;t Gift in Nature, borne to relieve Humane Imbecility, and pre|&s;erve Humane Society) that it is meer|ly Bruti&s;h. Settle wee our &s;elves there|fore &s;table upon our True Intere&s;t, as afore&s;aid, All other things being either Vitious and Bruti&s;h, or Froth and Smoak, again&s;t all Cavills of Imagination, with a firme Re&s;olution, Maugre our Di|&s;tempered Natures, which admit, not onely our Habituall Complexionall O|pinions, but al&s;o our Su&s;pitions and Hear|&s;ayes, to oppo&s;e and beare downe in our Mindes fully proved Truth: So our Rea&s;on, &s;hall make us &s;tedfa&s;t, and our Beliefe, &s;ure.</P>
<P>Let this &s;uffice for our Rationall Di&s;cour&s;e, upon the&s;e Subjects; This Conclu&s;ion being, That the Bookes of the OLD and NEVV TESTAMENT, Commonly called the Scriptures, are
<PB N="69" REF="35">the True and Perfect Rule for the Per|formance of JEHOVAH'S Honour and Wor&s;hip, And that they Declare a Right Way and Meanes for Mans full Re&s;taura|tion.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Sic Cogitavit</HI> J. BOTRIE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Fol.</HI> 1. <HI>line</HI> 14. with the ab&s;olute, <HI>read,</HI> with ab&s;o|lute. <HI>f.</HI> 7. <HI>l.</HI> 5. for impo&s;&s;ibilities <HI>r.</HI> impo&s;&s;ibility) <HI>f.</HI> 9. <HI>l.</HI> 21. Word is for. <HI>r.</HI> Word, for. <HI>f.</HI> 11. <HI>l.</HI> 15. the former? <HI>r.</HI> the forme? <HI>f.</HI> 13. <HI>l.</HI> 25. a Cau&s;e) <HI>r.</HI> a Cau&s;es.) <HI>f.</HI> 14. <HI>l.</HI> 7. private, <HI>r.</HI> privative. <HI>f.</HI> 16. <HI>l.</HI> 2. afore&s;aid being, <HI>r.</HI> afore&s;aid) being. <HI>f.</HI> 19. grounds, <HI>r.</HI> ground. <HI>f.</HI> 21. <HI>l.</HI> 8. is <HI>r.</HI> to. <HI>f.</HI> 25. <HI>l.</HI> 24. <HI>Aphridy|ceus, r. Aphrodyceus. f.</HI> 26. <HI>l.</HI> 22. regenerate, <HI>r.</HI> de|generate: &amp; <HI>l.</HI> 28. therefore that, <HI>r.</HI> therefore is, that. <HI>f.</HI> 34. <HI>l.</HI> 5. as <HI>r.</HI> is: &amp; <HI>l.</HI> 17. frenzines, <HI>r.</HI> Frenzies. <HI>f.</HI> 35. <HI>l.</HI> 29. which wil, <HI>r.</HI> which it wil. <HI>f.</HI> 36. <HI>l.</HI> 27 Extor|tions, <HI>r.</HI> and Extortions. <HI>f.</HI> 38. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 6. of all, <HI>r.</HI> a fall. <HI>f.</HI> 41.28. Many, <HI>r.</HI> Man. <HI>f.</HI> 43. <HI>l.</HI> 10. of <HI>r.</HI> or. <HI>f.</HI> 44. <HI>l.</HI> 6. its <HI>r.</HI> his. <HI>f.</HI> 46. <HI>l.</HI> 27. &s;hi Grandfather, <HI>r.</HI> his Grandfather.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
