Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Thirdly, the Power of pious and virtuous education; for many men have their manners as the Collier had his faith, merely by tradition, and upon credit from their forefathers. So saint Paul before his Conversion lived as touching the Law unblameably in his own esteem, because he had been a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Many times we may observe amongst men▪ that contrariety of affections proceed from causes homogeneall and uniform, and that the same temper and disposition of mind will serve to produce effects in appearance contrary. When two men contend with much violence to maintain two different opinions, it may easily be discerned by a judicious stander by, that it is the same love of victory, the same contentious constitution of Spirit which did foster ⟨p. 305⟩those extreme discourses, and many times men would not be at such distance in tenets, if they did not too much concur in the pride and vain glory of an opinionative mind. And surely so is it in matters of religion and practise, many times courses extremely opposite are embraced out of the self same uniform frame and temper of spirit; a humour pertinaciously to adhere to the ways which a man hath been bred in, may upon contrary educations produce contrary effects, and yet the principal reason be the same, as it is the same vigour and virtue of the earth which from different seeds put into it produceth different fruits. So then a man may abstain from many evils, and do many good things merely out of respect to their breeding, out of a native ingenuity, and fair opinion of their fathers piety, without any such experimental and convincing evidence of the truth, or Spiritual and Holy love of the goodness, by which the true members of Christ are moved unto the same observances.

Thirdly, the Power of pious and vertuous education; for many men have their manners as the Colliar had his faith, meerely by tradition, and upon credit from their forefathers. So saint Paul before his Conversion liv'd as touching the Law unblameably in his owne esteeme, because he had beene a Pharisce of the Pharisees. Many times we may observe amongst men▪ that contrarieti• of affections proceede from causes homogeneall and uniforme, and that the same temper and disposition of minde will serve to produce effects in apparance contrary. When two men contend with much violence to maintaine two different opinions, it may easily bee discerned by a judicious stander by, that it is the same love of victory, the same contentious constitution of Spirit which did foster