Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A70177
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An account of Mr. Ferguson, his common-place-book in two letters.
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Glanvill, Joseph, 1636-1680.; Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing G798; ESTC R23394
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20,014
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66
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tyrannos Christus Leo dicitur ob fortitudinem victoriam tyranni ob atrocitatem rapacitatem His distinctions between a Metaphor and other Tropes and Parables are all taken out of Glassius and Vossius M. F. p. 305. By a Parable I mean a Symbolick form of speech where by a well appropriated similitude from some feigned story some moral truth is insinuated to the minds of men to make it the better apprehended and understood Gale Court of the Gentiles part 2. p. 97. cited from Diodate This was a fashion of teaching used among the Iews followed by our Lord and very profitable to make the truth understood and to insinuate the apprehension thereof into the minds of the auditors by a well appropriated similitude taken from a feigned story His discourse of Allegories which immediately follows is principally owing to Glassius p. 1395. and whether he has not taken not onely his Notions but his Greek words and sayings concerning those descriptions of God which we call Anthropopathies from the same Author I will leave any man to judge who will compare them M. F. p. 315. Under Metaphors are comprehended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which humane parts c. are ascribed to God in such forms of speech God by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or condescension declares the infinite properties of his nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He decyphers what himself is and doth by things that fall under our apprehension and what is thus said of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the manner of men must be understood of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a way suitable to the Divine Nature Glassius p. 1116. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est metaphora qua quod creaturis praesertim homini propriè competit ad Deum transfertur vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condescensio v 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae de Deo dicuntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h. est convenienter Deo intelligenda sunt I confess Sir I am very sick of this undertaking for it is so far from being pleasant that it is grievous to me to write one line meerly to expose any man but I thought it necessary to take down the confidence of this Author who makes a great shew of ancient and modern Learning by transcribing out of some late Writers whose credit and reputation at the same time he endeavours to undermine I am glad to find that he reads so good Books which I doubt not but would make him wiser in time if he would consider as well as read It is no fault indeed to use those arguments which have been used by other men and it is possible sometimes to hit upon the very same expressions or some very like but when a man shall run through a book and take the whole Series of Arguments without owning his Masters when he shall take out whole Sentences and Paragraphs out of so many Authors of so vastly different styles it plainly discovers an empty Head a barren Fancy and a vain-glorious Mind It were easie to transcribe a great part of Glassius and Vossius concerning the nature and use of Metaphors and Allegories and the rules of expounding them which Mr. Ferguson has onely translated and from whence he has borrowed his Greek and Latine Citations out of ancient and modern Authors but I consider this would too much swell a Letter and you may do it your self if you have the curiosity And therefore I shall onely farther observe that whereas this Author falls upon Dr. Parker at every turn and challenges and provokes and scorns him there is no Person whom he does so much Ape as the Doctor He borrows divers of his expressions from him gawdy Metaphors phantastick Allegories thwacking Contradictions rampant and empty Schemes of Speech and the like and many times transcribes whole Sentences and Paragraphs from him of which I have given some instances above and shall adde but two or three more here M. F. p. 133. Heraclitus grew famous by the onely obscurity of his writings It is said of Aristotle that being reproved by Alexander for publishing his Acroamaticks he should make this reply that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made publick yet they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not published Dr. Parker Plat. Theol. p. 70. Neither is Heraclitus his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the obscurity of his writings less famous and no less common is Aristotle's Epistle to Alexander that though he had made his books publick yet he had not published them Where because he would not say the very same thing that the Dr. did he runs into a very ridiculous mistake For though Heraclitus his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was famous because of the obscurity of his writings yet it is a wild conceit that the obscurity of his writings was the onely thing that made him famous M. F. p. 321. When any thing is manifested by a Metaphor the thing it self is not fully expressed but only some similitude between it and another Dr. Parker ibid. p. 75. When any is expressed by a Metaphor the thing it self is not expressed but onely some similitude observed or made by fancy M. F. p. 323. For men to discourse in metaphorical terms of things whose nature and properties they are wholly ignorant of is plainly to trifle seeing while we know not the true Idea's of things we can onely imagine some resemblances Dr. Parker ibid. To discourse of the nature of things in metaphorical terms is to sport and trifle but 't is still more phantastick to talk metaphorically of those things of whose Idea's we are utterly ignorant Nay Sir it is still more pleasant to observe that our Author cannot complement his Patron without imitating Dr. Parker For whoever reads Mr. Ferguson's Dedication to Mr. Papilion and Dr. Parkers to Dr. Bathurst will find that the manner of Address the Composition Complement and Fancy is Dr Parkers though Mr. Ferguson has a little varied the words M. F. Ep. dedic Sir it cost me no long deliberation to whom I should direct these discourses the obligations I am under to you and your Family rendring them yours by the title of a just debt the interest you have in me by an entail of peculiar kindnesses gives you a right to my Studies and the fruits of them Dr. P. Ded. of his Plat. Theol. Reverend Sir I shall not need to argue the decency and fitness of this address because your absolute and unalienable right to all the fruits of my Studies has made it due and necessary M. F. The declining the imputation of ingratitude is my plea for prefixing your name to these Papers Dr. Parker I cannot alienate any thing that is theirs from being yours without being guilty at once of the greatest injustice and ingratitude M. F. Though the concerning you in their behalf may seem an injury yet not to have done it would have been a crime Dr. Parker So that if to present you with so mean a trifle be unhandsome yet not to have done it would have been unjust M. F. You must be content to forgive such offences as your self have made the result and effects of duty Dr. Parker Though I do but injure your name by concerning its Authority in behalf of so worthless a trifle yet an injury that is the result of duty and gratitude may hope for not onely your pardon but Sir such is your candour your acceptance too M. F. Were there any indecency in this address yet the laws of gratitude supersede those of congruity Dr. Parker The obligations of duty cancel all the laws of indecency This Sir I hope is enough to satisfie the world of Mr. Ferguson's great Learning and how he came by it It had been very easie to have given many more instances of this nature but I took those which came first to hand I need make no reflexions upon the whole since you have done it so well already and therefore have no more to do but to subscribe my self Your very affectionate Friend and Brother VV. Sherlock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. in Alex.
123. of Infallibility the result of which is that our Faith is infallible though we are not infallibly assured but this is beyond my first design only I could not but take this occasion to show you what a man of reason this is when he argues at his own natural rate and dares forsake his Masters and it were very easie to make it appear that he has not one good argument but what he has borrowed from some late Modern Authors who are far enough from being Fanaticks which is an excellent way of proving that Fanaticks are great friends to Reason But to give you some few instances more of Mr. Ferguson's transcribing from Modern Authors M. F. p. 48. If all things be the result of matter how comes a principle of reason to be conveyed into us by that which had it not inherent in it self Sir C. W. The unreasonableness of Atheism page 92. The casual conjunction of these atoms could not make the world because it is made with a principle of Reason and they could not have induced such a principle by chance unless some way or other they had it inherent in themselves before M. F. This Hypothesis supposeth that to have been the effect of chance which carries in it the characters of a wise contrivance Ibid. Dr. Til. Serm. 1. p. 40. Nothing can be more unreasonable than obstinately to impute an effect to chance which carries in the very face of it all the arguments and characters of a wise design and contrivance M. F. If the fabrick of the world be nothing but the result of the casual meeting and concatenation of Atoms how comes it to pass that by their daily motion and justling one another they do not dance themselves into more worlds Ibid. Sir Ch. Ibid. p. 91. If the dancing motion of these Atoms in this fancied space did by chance first dance the world into this form c. what is the reason these Atoms never danced themselves into any thing else You may see Sir what a youthful fancy Mr. Ferguson has to be so pleased with this metaphor of dancing which much better becomes a Gentleman than a Divine but yet I perceive Mr. Ferguson has so little skill in the thing that he spoils all these Metaphors if he attempts to vary the least word for I remember I have heard some say that justling is no very gentile way of dancing M. F. p. 50. To the fortuitous jumbles of blind matter Dr. More 's Antidote p. 42. From a blind fortuitous jumbling of the parts of matter And in the next words some body or other has put a trick on him for thus he proceeds The consideration of the Fabrick of things made Plato say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I may english in the words of the Holy Ghost that all things are made in number weight and measure which are not the words of the Holy Ghost unless he will acknowledge the book of Wisdom to be Canonical Scripture for there it is 2 Wisdom 20. M. F. p. 51. What convictions are we furnished with of the Being of God from the innate harmony that is in the several parts of the Creation and the convenient disposure of all the Creatures to a subserviency to one another in mutual offices chance cannot have linkt one thing to another nor can contraries combine into a mutual coalition without the influence of a supreme Being who overrules them Sir Charles ibid. p. 42. The natural rectitude and innate harmony of the world and the due subordination of things one to another and to the whole of the world Direct contraries are over-ruled to a perfect harmony and coalition in the propagation of the world p. 87. Here Mr. Ferg has a little altered the phrase but much for the worse for to combine into a coalition I doubt is not good sense M. F. p. 52. Men have rather chosen to worship any thing for a God than wholly to be without one Dr. Till Serm. p. 55. Men will rather have any God than none and rather than want a Deity will worship any thing M. F. p. 53. For not onely Cicero tells us that there is nothing so absurd which some of the Philosophers have not maintained But Aristotle informs us that there have been some who have held That a thing might at the same time be and not be Sir Charles ibid. p. 74. Aristotle tells us that there were some that affirmed A thing might be and might not be at the same time and Cicero has long since told us that nothing could be so absurd that had not some Philosopher for its Patron Now though these are very familiar sayings yet I have reason to think that Mr. Ferg transcribed them out of Sir Charles because he has not given us the Latine and Greek of these sayings as Sir Charles has not which Mr. Ferg never fails to do when he can come easily by it of which we have an instance or two in the same page Ferg ibid. Reason becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infected with those evil opinions that proceed from lust when men are once sunk into the greatest sensualities their reason becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compliant with their sensual appetites Mr. Smith's select Discourses p. 15. That reason that is within us as Plotinus hath well expressed it becomes more and more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will be infected with those evil opinions that arise from our corporeal life Their highest reason is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complying with their senses M. F. ibid. Besides men living as if there were no God can make no apology to the world but by espousing such notions as may justifie them in their courses Dr. Till Serm. p. 104. For when men live as if there were no God it becomes expedient for them that there should be none Besides that men think it some kind of apology for their vices that they do not act contrary to any principle they profess M. F. p. 63. There hath been no Nation so savage nor people so barbarous who have not acknowledged some kind of external Performances necessary for the expressing of the inward Sentiments of Devotion and Honour which they bear to the Deity Amyrald of Religion p. 2. There is no Nation so savage no people who do not essay by some kind of Performances to express the Sentiments of Devotion and Honour they bear towards him M. F. p. 132. Words that are intelligible when they are spoken are as intelligible when they are written Now as God can speak as plainly as any of his Creatures can and as words are at least as easie to be understood when they are written as when they are spoken so we have no reason to think that God affects obscurity or envies that men should understand him Dr. Till Rule of Faith p. 66. First Whatever can be spoken in plain and intelligible words and such as have a certain sense may be written in the same words Secondly That the same words