An Account of Cawdrys Triplex Diatribe, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of Mr C. his Title Pages.
Sect. 1. Philoſophy Col. 2. 8. Fables and endleſſe Genealogies, 1 Tim. 1. 4. Tit. 3. 9. The propriety of that Text Col. 2. to Mr. C. his diſcourſe.
AND firſt the Title page will deſerve a curſory view, eſpecially the place of Scripture, wherewith he hath choſen to adorn it, Col. 2. 4. 8. by which the Reader is directed to look on his threefold exercitation (as he is pleaſed to call it) with Dr. H. as an eſpeciall antidote againſt that Philoſophy, &c. of which S. Paul forewarns men to take heed in thoſe two verſes.
On this occaſion I ſhall not need inquire, what provocation Mr. C. had to expreſs ſuch unkindneſs to, and jealouſie of Philoſophy, (certainly not the ſame that S. Paul then had among his Coloſsians) but onelyonly remind the Reader what is Annot. on Col. 2. a. and 1 Tim. 1. 2.elſewhere ſhew'd more largely, that the Philoſophy there branded by the Apoſtle, was that which the Gnoſticks divinity was too full of, taken out of Pythagoras and the Greek Poets, Antiphanes, Heſiod and Philiſtion, and eſpecially Orpheus his Theologie or Genealogies of the Gods, and ſo promiſcuouſly ſtyled by the Apoſtles foreign, Philoſophy and vain deceipt, in this admonition to the Coloſsians, and foreign fables and endleſs genealogies (how out of Night and Silence comes forth Chaos &c.) in his directions to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 4. and foreign, fooliſh queſtions and genealogies, in his Epiſtles to Titus c. 3. 9.
And then how conveniently this was accommodated to any, or all thoſe three diſcourſes concerning Superſtition, Wil-worſhip, Chriſtmas Feſtival, muſt be diſcerned by his anſwer to all, or any of theſe few queſtions, 1. Whether any Gnoſtick principle of Theologie hath been diſcovered in any of thoſe three Tracts which he hath undertaken to chaſtiſe. 2. Whether it be a piece of Apoſtatical or heretical pravity, a branch of heatheniſme or Gnoſticiſme, to maintain the celebration of Chriſts Nativity to have nothing criminous in it, either under the head of Superſtition or Wil-worſhip. 3. Whether all inſtitutions of the Church, though in themſelves never ſo blameleſs, are yet to be lookt on, as foreign acts of diſpoiling Chriſtians, and little leſs then Sacrileges, and whether they are all comprehended under that ſtyle of Traditions of men, and rudiments of the world, in oppoſition to foreign, after Chriſt, of which the Apoſtle ſo carefully warnes the Coloſsians. Laſtly, whether all probable, or concludent, nay even demonſtrative diſcourſe, be to be warded and averted, as deceipts and beguilings, becauſe capable of that title of foreign, which the Apoſtle there uſeth, whether we render them literally probabilities of ſpeech, or with our tranſlation, inticing words?
When M. C. hath accommodated any ſatisfactory anſwer to theſe few queſtions (all, or at leaſt ſome one of them) he may then be qualified to attempt juſtifying the charitableneſs of his title page, and the propriety of his ſelect Scripture, but till then, he may give his Reader leave to queſtion one of them.
Sect. 2. Mat. 15. 8, 9. Gal. 4. 9, 10. Deum ſic colere quomodo ſeipſum colendum praecepit. Chriſtmas no irrational cuſtome.
THe ſame reaſon I have to put in my exceptions to the title pages of his two other exercitations, and in like manner, 1. to demand, how commodiouſly the words of Chriſt, Mat. 15. 8, 9. condemning their worſhip as vain, which teach for doctrines the commandments of men, are affixt to the ſecond Diatribe concerning Wil-worſhip, when he cannot but know, that that Text is particularly handled in the firſt leaf of the treatiſe of Wil-worſhip, and demonſtrated neither to belong to humane laws in general, nor to any inſtitutions of the Chriſtian Church, but onelyonly to the dogmatizing of Phariſaical hereticks, and particularly their urging ſome inventions of their own, as commanded, and under obligation by divine precept, now when the very Judaical commanded rites were ſo ſuddenly to be laid aſide, nailed to the croſſe, ſolemnly cancelled and aboliſht by Chriſt.
And 2. (no farther to demand his reaſons, but) to admire his conſtancy to himſelf; that before the Diatribe of Chriſtmas, and other (ſure Chriſtian) feſtivals, he hath thought meet to prefix that text Gal. 4. 9, 10. of obſerving dayes, moneths, times, years, ſo peculiarly reſtrained by all circumſtances to the Judaical Sabbaths, New Moons, Anniverſaries, and Jubiles, but no more appliable to the prejudice of the yearly feaſt of Chriſts birth, then to the weekly of his Reſurrection.
To which we ſhall aſſociate his two Latine ſentences, the one out of S. Auſtine of worſhipping God as he hath commanded; the other out of S. Cyprian, of the vanity of irrational cuſtomes, and remind him that we deſign no other worſhip of God upon Chriſtmas day, but ſuch as we are ſure he hath commanded at all times, that of prayer and thanksgiving &c. and that the incarnation of Chriſt was a competent reaſon to found a cuſtome of commemorating it after this manner, we ſhall finde a perfect harmony and conſent in all his diſcords, and that is all I ſhall return to his frontiſpices, deſigned to infuſe prejudices into the Reader, to blaſt before-hand, what he meant to anſwer.