Of the Advancement of Learning, 321^ 



not to their words. The other Reafon is , that he (pake not only to 

 thera that were then prellent, but to us ahb who now live, and to 

 men of every Age and Place to whom theGolpel fhould be preacht: 

 which fenfe ia many places of Scripture muft take place. 



^ Thcfe thus briefly toucht and fore-tafted, come we now to that 

 Treatiie which we report as Deficient. There are found indeed a- 

 va.oxk'^lhtologiciil writings too V!\^wy Bookj ofControverjies, an in' 

 finite Mais of that Divinity which we call Pojitive , as Common^ 

 places i Particular Treatife j Cafes of Confcience'j Sermons j Homilies j 

 and many Prolix Commentaries upon the Books ^f Scripture : but the 

 Form of writing Deficient is this, mmdyfttccini^ and found Collect- 

 on^ and that with judgement^ of Annotations and Okfirvations upon 

 particular Texts of Scripture 5 not dilating into common-places , or 

 chafing after Controverjies j or reducing them into method of Art : but 

 Xfhick be altogether fcattered and Natural j a thing indeed now and 

 thenexpreft in more learned Sermons, which for mofl:part vanilh, 

 but which as yet, is not colleded into Books that (hould be tranf- 

 mitted to Pofterity. Certainly as Wines which at firft prefling rua 

 gently, yield a more pleaftnt tafte, than thofe where the Wine-preft 

 is hard wrought 5 becaufe thole fbmewhat relifh of the ftone and 

 skin of the Grape 5 (6 thofe obfervations are moft wholfome and 

 fweet, which flow from Scriptures gently expreft, and naturally ex- 

 pounded, and are wrefted or drawn afide to common places or 

 Controverfies j fiich a Treatife we will name, The Emanations of 

 Scripture. 



«= § Thus have we made, as it were, stfrnal/Glohe of the Intelle&u- 

 ^'^al world, as faithfully as we could, together with a defignatioii 

 " and defcription of thofe parts which I find not conftantly occu- 

 '' pate, or not well converted by the Induftry and Labours of men. 

 " la which work if I have any where receded from the opini- 

 " on of the Ancients, I defirethat Pofterity v/ould (b judge of my 

 " intentions, as that this was done with a mind of further Progrejfion^ 

 " zad Proficience in melius , and not out of a humour of Innovation^ 

 " orTran(fnigratioai«<2//W.- for I could not be true and conftant 

 **^ to my felf, or the Argument which I have in hand, if I had not re- 

 "^folvedly determin'd. To add to the Inventions of others, (6 far as I 

 «« was able. And I am as willing , and as fincerely wi(h, that later 

 *' ages may go beyond me hereafter , as I have endeavoured to go 

 *' beyond others now. And how faithfully I have dealt in this bu- 

 '* fiae&may appear even by this, that I have propounded my opini- 

 " ons every where naked and unarn^^d, not feeking to prejudicate 

 " the liberty of others by the pugnacity of confutations. For in a- 

 '* ny thing which I have well fet down, I am in good hope that it 

 " will come (b to pals, that if in the firft reading a fcruple orobjedi- 

 " on be mov'd, in the fecond reading an anfwer will be ready made ; 

 '' zad in thole things wherein I have chanc'd to err, I am lure I have 

 " not prejudiced the right by litigious arguments, which common- 

 *' ly are of this nature , that they procure Authority to error, and dero- 

 '^'^ gats from Good inventions j for from Dubitation Error acquires Ho- 



S f 2 " aour^ 



