Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and…

2. And when this Learning is got, how uncertain are we whether the words have no ambiguity? Whether they give us the true notice of the Speakers […], and of the Matter spoken of? As I said before, what a penury, and yet redundancy of words have we? Of how various and uncertain signification? Changed by Custom, or Arbitrary design? Sometime by the Vulgar use, and sometime by Learned men, that being conscious of the defectiveness of the speaking-Art, are still tampering and attempting to amend it. And some men speak obscurely on purpose, to raise in their Readers a conceit of their subtle and sublime conceptions. And he that understandeth Things most clearly, and speaketh them most plainly (which are the parts of true Learning) shall have much a do to get the Matter out of dark and bewildering uncertainties, and to make others understand both it and him.

2. And when this Learning is got, how uncertain are we whether the words have no ambiguity? Whether they give us the true notice of the Speakers 〈…〉, and of the Matter spoken of? As I said before, what a penury, and yet redundancy of words have we? Of how various and uncertain signification? Changed by Custom, or Arbitrary design? Sometime by the Vulgar use, and sometime by Learned men, that being conscious of the defectiveness of the speaking-Art, are still tampering and attempting to amend it. And some men speak obscurely on purpose, to raise in their Readers a conceit of their subtile and sublime conceptions. And he that understandeth Things most clearly, and speaketh them most plainly (which are the parts of true Learning) shall have much a do to get the Matter out of dark and bewildring uncertainties, and to make others understand both it and him.

3. And hence come the greatest part of the Contentions of the World, which are hottest among men that most pretend to wordy knowledge: As in Traffic and converse, the more men and business we have to do with, usually the more quarrels and differences we have; so the more of this wordy Learning, instead of Realities, me• pretend to, the more Disputes and Controversies they make; and the Instruments of Knowledge, prove the Instruments of Error and Contention: And alas how many applauded Volumes are the snares and troublers of the World! And how great a part of our Libraries are vain janglings, and strife of words, and traps for the more ingenuous sort, that will not be taken with Cards and Dice robbing us of our time, destroying our Love, depressing our minds that should ascend to God, and diverting them from the great and holy Things, which should be the matter of our Thoughts and Joys; and filling the Church with Sects and Strife,