A14095:535
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of…A discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of…
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of D. Jacksons profound discourses, may see the vanity and weakness of them, in sundry passages, and especially so far as they tend to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twice, Doctor of Divinity, as they say, from whom the copy came to the pressA discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of D. Iacksons profound discourses, may see the vanitie and weaknesse of them, in sundry passages, and especially so farre as they tende to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twisse, Doctor of Divinitie, as they say, from whom the copie came to the presse
Amsterdam: printed by the successors of Giles Thorp, 1631
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
For this coexistence attributed unto God is not in respect of any succession in himself, but only in the things without him, which come and go one after another by succession, & you are in the right, when thereupon you deny all succession in God, because his nature is not subject to any kind of motion; God was before the World, and is coexistent with and in the World, and shall be after the World, which being after time, you in your language, enstile his being before the end of it; but after another manner, then whereby he is said to be before the beginning of it; But we must give you leave to be as disertus as you will in Lingua tua; Nobis non licet esse tam disertis, qui musus colimus severiores; At parting you give us another paradox; when you tell us It is impossible to conceive any duration to be without beginning or ending without conceiving it Circular, or altogether void of succession, on the contrary it is as wonderful to me, how it should be possible for any man to conceive any duration to be Circular, whether finite or infinite; For the word Circular is a denomination only of form, and of such a form as belongs to magnitudes, that have coexistence of parts extended, and of motion in such a form: But time is neither any such magnitude, nor capable of motion; In a round figure, I confess, there is no beginning nor end of magnitude, But of duration, round figures have their beginning, as well as squares; The latter part is as ⟨p. 208⟩untrue. Some have been of opinion that the World was everlasting, and the motions of the Heavens everlasting, as Aristotle and his followers.
For this coexistence attributed unto God is not in respect of any succession in himselfe, but only in the things without him, which come and goe one after another by succession, & you are in the right, when thereupon you deny all succession in God, because his nature is not subject to any kinde of motion; God was before the World, and is coexistent with and in the World, and shall be after the World, which beinge after time, you in your language, enstile his beinge before the end of it; but after another manner, then whereby he is sayd to be before the beginninge of it; But we must give you leave to be as disertus as you will in Lingua tua; Nobis non licet esse tam disertis, qui musus colimus severiores; At partinge you give us another paradox; when you tell us It is impossible to conceive any duration to be without beginninge or endinge without conceavinge it Circular, or altogeather voyd of succession, on the contrary it is as wonderfull to me, how it should be possible for any man to conceive any duration to be Circular, whether finite or infinite; For the word Circular is a denomination only of forme, and of such a forme as belongs to magnitudes, that have coexistence of parts extended, and of motion in such a forme: But time is neyther any such magnitude, nor capable of motion; In a round figure, I confesse, there is no beginninge nor end of magnitude, But of duration, rounde figures have theyr beginninge, as well as squares; The latter part is as