Run from Rome, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Declaring by way of Preface to the Reader, the matter and manner of this Treatiſe.
A Good and carefull Phiſition, doth not onelyonly prepare his portion according to Art, but alſo, if neede be, perſwade and intreate his patient to take it. This example I hauehave propounded to my ſelfe in this Treatiſe. In the former part whereof, I hauehave faithfully, and with the beſt skill I could vſe, prouided ſuch a medicine, as in it ſelfe is not vnfit, and (I hope) by the mercifull bleſſing of God, ſhall be made effectuall, to bring that to paſſe which is intended. My charge in this miniſtring is, rather a care to preuent what may happen, then a cure to remedy what hath happened. For the Papiſts, who are alreadie fallen into ſickneſſe, not onelyonly like melancholicke men, refuſe all meanes of cure, vponupon conceite that they neede it not; but alſo like Vliſſes companions, hauehave their eares ſtopped with the waxe of preiudice, and their eyes ſealed with blind obedience, that they can neither heare nor ſee in what caſe they are. I muſt therefore be content to let the mole thinke, that no creature can ſee better then ſhe, and apply my waters and powders to their eyes, who are rather weake ſighted, then ſtarke blind.
To you then I addreſſe my ſpeech (beloued Chriſtians) who ſee the truth, as he that had newly recouered his ſight, did iudge of men: he was able to perceiue they were men, but they ſeemed to him to be as high as trees: ſo that he ſaw what they were, but could not diſcerne their true proportion. So fareth it with a great part of thoſe, who profeſſe the Religion of God maintained in the Church of England: they hauehave a ſtrong perſwaſion that poperie is to be de…eſted, but they ſee not cleerely what it is tht maketh it deteſtable. Ioſuah and the people of Iſrael perceiued that the Lord was offended with Ibſua 7. 7.them, but could not find out Achan that had prouoked his diſpleaſuie. Behold, by Gods gracious aſſiſtance I hauehave found him out, attached, indited, and brought him to the barre, that all men may ſee the Babiloniſh ſtuffe which he hath conueyed into the campe of the liuing God, and hidden there in ſuch ſort, that he hath notwithſtanding a long time beene taken for a true Iſraelite. Oh that it would pleaſe the Lord God, who onelyonly can worke wonders, to giuegive him an heart and tongue to gloriſie the Lord Ieſus by confeſſing of his theft, and reſtoring him his honour: whereof vnderunder a colour of doing him ſeruice, he hath trai…erouſly robbed him.
The proofe of this treaſon I leaue to the inſuing diſputation and diſcourſe, with hope that I ſhall thereby (through Gods bleſſing) both inlighten the vnderſtanding, and inſlame the affection with deteſtation of popiſh errours. It remaines, that (as briefly as I can,) I giuegive an account of the courſe I hauehave taken in debating ſo weightie a matter. I hauehave herein gone a little out of the common high-way, into the by path of Schoole-learning: into which I either ſlipped, or thruſt my ſelfe, partly of choiſe, and partly of neceſſitie; Of choiſe, becauſe this kinde of writing in matters of this nature doth beſt content me; Of neceſſitie, becauſe I was aſraide, leaſt in ſo wide a ſea I might looſe my ſelfe, and either ouer ſhoote my port, or fall ſhort of it.
But why ſhould I delight in ſuch thornie and vnbeaten wayes: dayly experience ſhewes how hard a thing it is to giuegive a reaſon of liking, and miſliking. All I will ſay is this. It is in ſtudies as in apparrell. There are that think large diſcourſes like looſe garments, and regard neither the fineneſſe of the ſtuffe, nor the neatneſſe of the workman-ſhip, but onelyonly the fitneſſe for the bodie it muſt ſerue. Theſe conſider what aptneſſe and force there is in that which is deliuered, to manifeſt and proue that which is vndertaken. Otherſome cannot abide to be kept to the point in queſtion, no more then to be pinioned in a ſtreight doublet; theſe men ſeeme to louelove daintineſſe and eaſineſſe more then warmth and laſting: ſo that which they reade or write, pleaſe for the preſent, they care not greatly whether it be little or much to purpoſe. Both nature and education hauehave bred in me another humor, that I had rather reade or writ that which may truely informe my underſtanding, thā that which may tickle my affection. In theſe things I conceiue the Heathen ſaid wel, that Nature is the beſt guide. For he that ſetteth him ſelfe to that, to which he hath no fitneſſe by nature: doth like him that ſwimmeth againſt the ſtreame, who being not able to hold out, is either driuen back or drowned.
What meaneth all this? may ſome man ſay. Nothing elſe but this, that I may the eaſier be excuſed for following that courſe, to which I find my ſelfe inclined, rather then that, which of it ſelfe might procure better liking. And this I truſt, I ſhall the ſooner obtaine by ſignifiyng, that my breeding ſtrengthened my inclination. For it pleaſed God, that at my firſt comming to Cambridge, I ſhould be entred into the Kings-colledge, by that worthy and learned gentleman Sir William T…mple, who in his Logicke readings, alwayes laboured more to fitt vsus, for the true uſe of that Art, then for vaine and idle ſpeculations, and earneſt wranglings about trifles of no profit nor certainty. Thus hauehave you the reaſon of my choyſe: may it pleaſe you to take knowledge alſo of the neceſſitie of this courſe.
Cuſtome is ſaid to be an other nature; and is commonly called a tyrant: becauſe many times it inforceth a man to that of which in his owne diſpoſition he hath no manner of liking. As I was brought up rather to the profitable uſe then vaine oftentation of that noble Art of Logicke: ſo (as new veſſels doe) keeping a tang of the firſt liquot, wherewith I was ſeaſoned, I applyed my ſelfe in the reading of Philoſophy, Hiſtory, Oratory, Poetry, to make uſe of that Inſtrument of inſtruments, as (Ariſtotle calleth it,) in every peece of worke I undertooke. By this meanes it came to paſſe, that I began to thinke, (as men commonly doe account highly of that, wherewith they are moſt in louelove) that Logicke was if not the onelyonly, yet the principall Art, for the obtaining of true knowledge in any kind of learning whatſoever. If I lighted in reading upon any thing that was hard, that I ſeemed to be in a Labyrinth, Logicke was like Ariadnes clew of thrid, to guid me in it & to bring me out of it. Was I deſirous in any exerciſe of learning to take the right courſe in ſpeaking or writting? Logicke, like Mercuries Statue poynted me out the way, and ſhewed me all the turnings and windings in it. To conclude, my continuall practiſe in this Art, hath given it ſuch power over me, that with the Hebrew ſervant, my Exod. 21. 6.eare is faſt nayled to the doro poſt, ſo that I can nether ſtir from it, nor willingly heare any ſound without, that may draw me from thinking on it. This is the firſt degree of necoſſitie by which I am bound to this kind of writing.
The other is greater and ſtreighter. And therein, as we are all ready, like our firſt parents to excuſe our faults, I hauehave a good mind… to make a vertue of neceſſitie, by perſwading my ſelfe, that I doe that out of iudgement, which I doe indeed to help my weaknes, in judging. For I muſt and doe freely confeſſe, that I hauehave neither ſuch quicknes in apprehending, nor ſuch ſharpnes in judging, but that I find my ſelfe many times at a ſtand in underſtanding, and at a loſſe in reſolving. What help hauehave I in this caſe, but to flee to Logicke as to an Oracle. By that I am inſtructed to take the frame in ſunder, to view every part by it ſelfe; to trie how every tenant and mortuis is fitted each to other, which principals are too weake, which peeces are too long, which too ſhort, whether they will ſerue in that building or no? if they will, how they muſt he ordered. If any man be able without this labour, at the firſt ſight of a building, to ſay all is right & well, I would intreate him to beare with my ſlownes and backwardnes, upon promiſe, that I will not repine at his quicknes and forwardnes.
As for them that thinke I troble my ſelfe more then needeth by taking this paines, I hope they are not like him in Seneca (as I remember Mendyrides) who would yawne and ſtretch, when he ſaw an other man labour, as if he had ben wearied therewith himſelfe. Long experience aboue 40 yeare, hath made me fearefull & ſuſpicious. I hauehave many times perſwaded my ſelfe of the ſtrength & goodnes of an argument, which upon triall I hauehave found to be weake and naught. Many times I hauehave thought I underſtood a thing at the firſt reading very fully, wherein upon the review I perceived I was deceived, In this diſputation it had not ben poſſible for me to hauehave diſcerned the weaknes and ſophiſtry of the Papiſts arguments, if I had not brought them to the beame, and weighed them parcell by parcell as I hauehave done. But if I had now forborne to runne this courſe, and written more plauſibly to eueryevery mans apprehenſion, yet I muſt hauehave been faine to come to it hereafter, whenſoeuer the aduerſaries ſhall aſſay to make good their arguments againſt my anſwers. If this courſe be followed in examining Popiſh bookes, we ſhall ſaue them and our ſelues a great deale of labour: for they will be afraid to come to ſuch a triall, as will not ſuffer them to run the wild-gooſe chaſe, but will tether them, that they ſhall be kept within compaſſe, as if they were coiured within a circle; By this ſifting we ſhal ſeuer the flower from the bran, that a buſhell will be brought within a peck: that in a book of twentie ſheets, there will be no more to be anſwered, then may well be contained in fiue or ſixe.
But this courſe will be too hard for ordinarie mens vnderſtandings: it will, till they be acquainted with all, as ſtrange things commonly vſe to be: perhaps they will not at the firſt be able to conceiue fully of eueryevery anſwer: if they will but take the paines to pauſe vponupon it, they may learne more by a few lines often read, then by a great manie once poſted ouer; beſides if they vnderſtand not all: yet I dare vndertake, they ſhall by this courſe vnderſtand more, and more certainely in reading 3 leaues, then by iunning ouer 13 in a looſe diſcourſe. Logicke (beloued,) is nothing elſe but the perfection of reaſon: it is not a deuiſe of Schollers, but a plant of nature: eueryevery man vſeth it dayly in his ſpeaking or writing: the termes are vnknowne; ſo are the termes of warre, of Nauigation, of husbandrie, and of the meaneſt trade and occupation: till they be knowne they are hard, when they are known eaſie. If I might find ſo much fauour with you, as to get you to make a tryall, I make no doubt but this courſe would ſoone hauehave entertainment, and your knowledge thereby grow beyond your expectation.
At the leaſt, let me craue and obtaine pardon of you for making ſo bold with you, in a matter (as I take it) ſo fit and needfull. I hope it ſhall not fall out with vsus (reuerend fathers and brethren in the miniſtrie) as it did with Ariſtotle and Iſocrates, they were both Platoes Schollers: but followed diuers profeſſions: the one giuing himſelfe to Philoſophie, the other to Oratorie: each of them was ſo carried away with the pleaſure he took in his own courſe, that he wholy deſpiſed the other. As it becommeth me, I leaue eueryevery one to his owne iudgement and practiſe, deſiring to be directed and aduiſed by any man, that can and will doe it. At ſome of you I wonder with delight, other I commend: there is none but I excuſe, as I deſire to be excuſed my ſelfe. Great wits may make a ſhift without artificiall Logicke: ordinary men ſhall find extraordinary helpe by it. The Lord in merciemercy ſo direct vsus all, that we may ſeeke and procure by his bleſſing, the manifeſting and maintaining of his truth, to the glorie of his name, the good of his Church, and our euerlaſting ſaluation in Ieſus Chriſt our Lord.