A14095:6
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.
To the understanding Reader.
Two sorts of men there are (to pass by the mere Politicians ready to serve the times, and their own turns without any fear of God or man) which now undermine that doctrine of grace, which formerly they themselves have believed, and by the preaching whereof they have received the grace whereby they are what they are, in any true good. Some under a show of modesty and simplicity, hold off themselves and others from admitting so high points; as not willing to believe that which is above their comprehension. But others take up the cause a clean contrary way, and would bear the World in hand, that the failings of our divines, in this doctrine, came from shallowness, and want of profound knowledge in Metaphysical speculations. Of this later rank, Mr. D. Jackson is the ringleader. This man doubteth not to profess, that he hath found no character of the incomprehensible Essences ubiquitary presence (no not in the Holy Prophets and Apostles writings) from which he hath received so ⟨image 3⟩full instruction, or reaped the like fruits of admiration, as from one of Trismegist, an Egyptian Priest. part. 1. pag. 55. So that the sentence which he passeth upon Vorstius (whom he seemeth more to emulate in overturning the divine attributes, then any other) doth shrewdly reflect upon himself: The evaporations of proud fantastic melancholy, hath eclipsed the lustre of glorious presence, in this prodigious Questionists brain, which would bring us out of the Sun-shine of the Gospel, into old Egyptian darkness. From the same Egyptian learning, thorough Plato and Plotinus, he taketh his draught of the divine decrees. For he acknowledgeth no decree of God, concerning humane actions, good or bad (no not of those which God promised to effect either concerning his mercy in Christ and Christians, or concerning his judgements to be effected by the wicked) but only disjunctive, that is by his own instances, part. 2. Sect. 2. cap. 17. Aut erit, aut non erit; it shall either rain all day tomorrow, or be fair all day tomorrow (in which example of a false disjunction, he may seem to teach that Gods decrees may also be false;) the Sun will either shine, or not shine, this day at twelve of the clock. Surely from this character of a divine decree, though we can receive no good instruction, yet have we as much fruit of admiration, as D.