demonstrated how she was preserv'd from Original sin as have done our Divines Peter receiv'd the Keyes and from him too that would not have trusted them with a person unworthy yet whether he had understanding or no I know not for certainly he never attain'd to that subtilty to determine how he could have the Key of knowledge that had no knowledge himself They Baptized far and near and yet taught no where what was the Formal Material Efficient and final cause of Baptisme nor made the least mention of delible and indelible Characters They worshipt 't is true but in Spirit following herein no other than that of the Gospel God is a Spirit and they that worship must worship him in Spirit and Truth yet it does not appear it was at that time reveal'd to them that an Image â—â—ketcht on the Wall with a Cole was to be worshipt with the same worship as Christ himself if at least the two 'fore fingers be stretcht out the hair long and uncut and have three Rayes about the Crown of the Head For who can conceive these things unless he has spent at least six and thirty years in she Philosophical and Supercoelestial Whims of Aristotle and the Schoolmen In like manner the Apostles press to us Grace but which of them distinguisheth between gratiam grais datam gratiam gratificantem free grace â—nd grace that makes a man acceptable They exhort us to good works and yet determine â—ot opus operans opus operatum what is â—he work working and what a resting in the work done They incite us to Charity and â—et make no difference between infusam â—equisitam Charity infus'd and Charity â—rought in us by our own endeavours nor â—o they declare whether it be an Accident or 〈◊〉 Substance a thing Created or Uncreated They detest and abominate sin but let me â—ot live if they could define according to â—rt what that is which we call Sin unless â—erhaps they were inspir'd by the spirit of the â—cotists Nor can I be brought to believe that Paul by whose learning you may judge the rest â—ould have so often condemn'd Questions Disputes Genealogies and as himself calls 'em 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strifes of words if he had throughly understood those subtiltiâ—es especially when all the Debates and Controversies of those times were rude and blockish in comparison of the more than Chrysippean subtilties of our Masters Although yet the Gentlemen are so modest that if they meet with any thing written by the Apostles not so smooth and even as might be expected from a Master they do not presently condemn it but handsomly bend it to their own purpose so great Respect and Honour do they give partly to Antiquity and partly to the name of Apostle And truly 't were a kind of injustice to require so great things of them that never heard the least word from their Masters concerning it And so if the like happen in Chrysostome Basil Jerome they think it enough to say They are not oblig'd by 't The Apostles also confuted the Heathen Philosophers and Jews a people than whom nore more obstinate but rather by their good Lives and Miracles than Syllogisms and yet there was scarce one amongst 'em that was capable of understanding the least Quodlibet of the Scotists But now where is that Heathen or Heretick that must not presently stoop to such Wire-drawn subtilties unless he be so thick-skul'd that he can't apprehend â—em or so impudent as to hiss 'em down or â—eing furnisht with the same Tricks be able â—o make his party good with ' em as if a man â—hould set a Conjurer on work against a Conjuâ—er or fight with one hallowed Sword against â—nother which would prove no other than Penelopes tela a work to no purpose for my own part I conceive the Christians would do much better if instead of those dull Troops â—nd Companies of Souldiers with which they have manag'd their War with such doubtful success they would send the bauling Scotists â—he most obstinate Occamists and invincible Aâ—bertists to war against the Turks and Saraâ—ens and they would see I guess a most pleasant Combate and such a Victory as was neâ—eâ— before For who is so faint whom their devices will not enliven Who so stupid whom such spurrs can't quicken or who so quick-sighted before whose eyes they can't cast a mist But you 'l say I jest Nor are ye without cause since even amongst Divines themselves there are some that have learnt better and are ready to turn their stomacks at those foolish subtilties of t'others There are some that detest 'em as a kind of Sacriledge and count it the height of Impiety to speak so irreverently of such hidden things rather to be ador'd than explicated to dispute of 'em with such profane and Heathenish niceties to define 'em so arrogantly and pollute the majestie of Divinity with such pithless and sordid terms and opinions Mean time the others please nay hug themselves in their happiness and are so taken up with these pleasant trifles that they have not so much leisure as to cast the least eye on the Gospel or S. Pauls Epistles And while they play the fool at this rate in their Schools they make account the Universal Church would otherwise perish unless as the Poets fancy'd of Atlas that he supported Heaven with his shoulders they underpropt t'other with their Syllogistical Buttresses And how great a happiness is this think ye while as if holy Writ were a Nose of Wax they fashion and refashion it according to their pleasure while they require that their own Conclusions subscrib'd by two or three Schoolmen be accoâ—nted greater than Solon's Laws and prefer'd before the Papal Decretals while as Censors of the world they force every one to a Recantation that differs but a hairs bredth from the least of their Explicit or Implicit Determinations and those too they pronounce like Oracles This Proposition is scandalous This Irreverent This has a smatch â—f Heresie This no very good sound so â—hat neither Baptisme nor the Gospel nor Pâ—ul nor Peter nor St. Jerome nor St. Augustine no nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ipse Thomas most Aristotelitotical Thomas himself can make a man a Christian without these Batchelours â—oo be pleas'd to give him his grace And the like â—s their subtilty in judging for who would â—hink he were no Christian that should say these two Speeches Matula Putes matula Putet or Ollae fervere ollam fervere were not both good Latine unless their wisdomes had taught us the contrary who had deliver'd the Church from such Mists of Errour which yet no one e're met with had they not come but with some University Seal for 't And are they not most happy while they do these things Then for what concerns Hell how exactly they describe every thing as if they had been conversant in that Common-wealth most part of their time Again how do they frame in
first as I said before Arts were invented bâ— the evil Genii and yet but few and those toâ— receiv'd by fewer After that the Chaldeâ— Superstition and Greek new fangledness thâ— had little to do added I know not how man more meer torments of Wit and that 〈◊〉 great that even Grammar alone is woâ—â— enough for any man for his whole life Though yet amongst these Sciences those onâ— are in esteem that come nearest to commâ—â— sense that is to say Folly Divines are hâ—â— starv'd Naturalists out of heart Astrologeâ— laught at and Logicians slighted onely thâ— Physician 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is worth all â—he rest And amongst them too the more unâ—earned impudent or unadvised he is the more he is esteem'd even among Princes for Physick especially as it is now profest by most men is nothing but a branch of Flattery no â—ess than Rhetorick Next them the second place is given to our Law-drivers if not the first whose Profession though I say it my self most men laugh at as the Ass of Philosophy yet there 's scarce any business either so great or small but is manag'd by these Asses These purchase their great Lordships while â—n the mean time the Divine having run through the whole Body of Divinity sits gnawing a Raddish and is in continual Warfare with Lice and Fleas As therefore those Arts are best that have the nearest Affinity with Folly so are they most happy of all others that have least commerce with Sciences and follow the guidance of Nature who is in no wise imperfect unless perhaps we endeavor to leap over those bounds she has appointed to us Nature hates all false-colouring and is ever best where she is least adulterated with Art Go to then don't ve find among the several kinds of living Creatures that they thrive best that understand no more than what Nature taught them What is more prosperous or wonderful than the Bee Anâ— though they have not the same judgement of sense as other Bodies have yet whereâ—â— hath Architecture gone beyond their building of Houses What Philosopher ever found thâ—â— like Republique Whereas the Horse thâ—â— comes so near man in understanding and 〈◊〉 therefore so familiar with him is also partakeâ— of his misery for while he thinks it a shameâ— to lose the Race it often happens that hâ— cracks his wind and in the Battel while hâ— contends for Victory he 's cut down himself and together with his Rider terram 〈◊〉 momordit lies biting the earth Not to mention those strong Bits sharp Spurrs close Stables Arms Blows Rider and briefly all that slavery he willingly submits to while imitating those men of Valour he so eagerly striveâ— to be reveng'd of the Enemy Than which 〈◊〉 how much more were the life of flies or birds to be wish'd for who living by the instinct of Nature look no further than the present if yet man would but let 'em alone in 't And if at any time they chance to be taken and being shut up in Cages endeavour to imitate our speaking 't is strange how they degenerate from their native gaiety So much better in every respect are the works of Nature than the adulteries of Art In like manner I can never sufficiently praise that Pythagoras in a â—ung-hill Cock who being but one had been â—t every thing a Philosopher a Man a Woâ—an a King a private man a Fish a Horse Frog and I believe too a Sponge and at â—t concluded that no Creature was more â—iserable than man for that all other Creaâ—â—res are content with those bounds that Naâ—re set them onely Man endeavours to exceed â—em And again among men he gives the â—ecedency not to the learned or the great â—â—t the Fool Nor had that Gryllus less wit â—an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ulysses with his maâ—â— counsels who chose rather to lie grunting 〈◊〉 a Hog-sty than be expos'd with t'other to 〈◊〉 many hazzards Nor does Homer that â—ather of trifles dissent from me who â—ot only call'd all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—retched and full of calamity but often his great â—attern of Wisedom Ulysses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Miseâ—able Paris Ajax and Achilles no where And why I pray but that like a cunning fellow and one that was his crafts-master he did â—othing without the advice of Pallas In a â—ord he was too wise and by that means ran wide of Nature As therefore amongst men â—hey are least happy that study Wisedom as â—eing in this twice-Fools that when they are â—orn men they should yet so far forget their condition as to affect the life of Gods and aâ—â—ter the Example of the Gyants with their Phâ—losophical gimcracks make a War upon Nature In which respect they seem as little miserable as is possible who come nearest 〈◊〉 Beasts and never attempt any thing beyonâ— Man Go to then let 's try how demonstrable this is not by Euthymems or the imperfect Syllogisms of the Stoicks but by plain-down-right and ordinary Examples Anâ— now by the immortal Gods I think nothing more happy than that generation of men wâ— commonly call fools ideots lack-wits and dolts splendid Titles too as I conceive 'em â— I 'le tell ye a thing which at first perhapâ— may seem foolish and absurd yet nothing more true And first they are not afraid oâ— death no small evil by Jupiter They aâ—â— not tormented with the conscience of evil acts â— Not terrify'd with the fables of Ghosts noâ— frighted with Spirits and Goblins They are not distracted with the fear of evils to come nor the hopes of future good In short they are not disturb'd with those thousand of cares to which this life is subject They are neither modest nor fearful nor ambitious nor envious nor love they any man And lastly if they should come nearer even to the very ignorance of Brutes they could not sin for so hold the Divines And now tell me thou wise fool â—ith how many troublesome cares thy mind is â—ontinually perplext heap together all the â—iscommodities of thy life and then thou 'lt â—â—e sensible from how many evils I have delivered my Fools Add to this that they are â—ot onely merry play sing and laugh themselves but make mirth where ever they come 〈◊〉 special priviledge it seems the Gods have â—iven 'em to refresh the pensiveness of life Whence it is that whereas the world is so â—ifferently affected one towards another that â—ll men indifferently admit them as their comâ—anions desire feed cherish embrace them â—ake their parts upon all occasions and permit â—em without offence to do or say what they â—ist And so little doth every thing desire to â—urt them that even the very Beasts by a â—ind of natural instinct of their innocence no â—oubt pass by their injuries for of them it â—ay be truly said that they are consecrate to â—he Gods and therefore and not without â—ause do men have 'em in such esteem Whence is it else that they are in so
have a noise of words and look upon the Ceremonies Nor in this alone which we onely propos'd by way of example but in all his life and without hypoc isie does a holy man fly those things that have any alliance with the body and is wholly ravisht with things Eternal Invisible and Spiritual for which cause there 's so great a contrariety of opinion between 'em and that too in every thing that each party thinks the other out of their wits though that character in my judgment better agrees with those holy men than the common people which yet will be more clear if as I promis'd I briefly shew ye that that great reward they so much fancy is nothing else but a kind of madness And therefore suppose that Plato dreamt of somewhat like it when he call'd the madness of Lovers the most happy condition of all others for he that 's violently in Love lives not in his own body but in the thing he loves and by how much the farther he runs from himself into another by so much the greater is his pleasure and then when the mind strives to rove from its body and does not rightly use its own organs without doubt you may say 't is downright madnesse and not be mistaken or otherwise what 's the meaning of those common sayings Non est apud se Ad te redi Sibi redditus est He does not dwell at home Come to your self He 's his own man again Besides the more perfect and true his love is the more pleasant is his madness And therefore what is that life hereafter after which these holy minds so pantingly breathe like to be To wit the Spirit shall swallow up the Body as conqueror and more durable and this it shall do with the greater ease because heretofore in its life-time it had cleans'd and thinn'd it into such another nothing as its self And then the Spirit agen shall be wonderfully swallow'd up by that highest mind as being more powerful than infinite parts So that the whole man is to be out of himself nor to be otherwise happy in any respect but that being stript of himself he shall participate of somewhat ineffable from that chiefest good that draws all things into its self And this happiness though 't is only then perfected when souls being joyn'd to their former bodies shall be made immortal yet forasmuch as the life of holy men is nothing but a continu'd meditation and as it were shadow of that life it so happens that at length they have some taste or relish of it which though it be but as the smallest drop in comparison of that fountain of eternal happiness yet it far surpasses all worldly delight though all the pleasures of all mankind were all joyn'd together So much better are things spiritual than things corporal and things invisible than things visible which doubtless is that which the Prophet promiseth The eye hath not seen nor the ear heard nor has it entred into the heart of man to consider what God has provided for them that love him And this is that Mary's better part which is not taken away by change of life but perfected And therefore they that are sensible of it and few there are to whom this happens suffer a kind of somewhat little differing from madness for they utter many things that do not hang together and that too not after the manner of men but make a kind of sound which they neither heed themselves nor is it understood by others and change the whole figure of their countenance One while jocund another while dejected now weeping then laughing and agen sighing And when they come to themselves tell ye they know not where they have been whether in the body or out of the body or sleeping nor do they remember what they have heard seen spoken or done and only know this as it were in a mist or dream that they were the most happy while they were so out of their wits And therefore they are sorry they are come to themselves agen and desire nothing more than this kind of madnesse to be perpetually mad And this is a small taste of that future happiness But I forget my self and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 run beyond my bounds Though yet if I shall seem to have spoken any thing more boldly or impertinently than I ought be pleas'd to consider that not only Folly but a Woman said it remembring in the mean time that Greek Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sometimes a fool may speak a word in season unlesse perhaps you 'll say this concerns not Women I see you expect an Epilogue but give me leave to tell ye you are much mistaken if you think I remember any thing of what I have said having foolishly bolted out such a hodg podg of words 'T is an old Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I hate one that remembers what 's done over the Cup This is a new one of my own making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I hate a man that remembers what he hears Wherefore farewell clap your hands live and drink lustick my most excellent Disciples of Folly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS