The fourth and last part of our Author Discourse, is spent in two Stories: one of Religion; the other of himself. His first of Religion, is but a summary of what was diffused through the others parts of his Treatise, being insinuated piece-meal, as he thought he could make any advantage of it to his purpose. Two things he aims to make his Readers believe, by it; First, That we in these Nations had our Religion from Rome; And secondly, That it was the same which is there now professed. Those whom he tells his Tale unto, are, as he professeth, such as are ignorant of the coming into, and progress of Religion amongst us; wherein he deals wisely, and as became him; seeing he might easily assure himself, that those who are acquainted before his Information with the true state of these things, would give little ⟨p. 247⟩credit to what he nakedly avers upon his own Authority. For my part, I shall readily acknowledge, that for ought appears in this Book, he is a better Historian then a Disputant; and hath more reason to trust to his faculty of telling a Tale, than managing of an Argument. I confess also, that a slight and superficial view of Antiquity, especially, as flourished over by some Roman-Legendaries, is the best advantage our Adversaries have to work on; as a thorough Judicious search of it, is fatal to their pretensions. He, that from the Scriptures, and the Writings extant of the first Centuries, shall frame a true Idea of the State and Doctrine of the first Churches, and then observe the adventitious accessions made to Religion in the following ages, partly by mens own inventions, but chiefly by their borrowing from, or imitation of, the Jews and Pagans, will need very little light or help from artificial Arguments to discover the defections of the Roman-Party, and the true means whereby that Church arrived unto its present condition. To pursue this at large is not ⟨p. 248⟩a work to be undertaken in this scambling chase. It hath been done by others, and those, who are not unwilling to be at the cost and pains in the disquisition of the Truth, which it is really worth, may easily know where to find it, Our present task is, but to observe our Author's motions, and to consider whether what he offers, hath any efficacy towards that he aims at.
THe fourth and last part of our Author Discourse, is spent in two Stories: one of Religion; the other of himself. His first of Religion, is but a summary of what was diffused through the others parts of his Treatise, being insinuated piece-meal, as he thought he could make any advantage of it to his purpose. Two things he aims to make his Readers believe, by it; First, That we in these Nations had our Religion from Rome; And secondly, That it was the same which is there now professed. Those whom he tels his Tale unto, are, as he professeth, such as are ignorant of the coming into, and progress of Religion amongst us; wherein he deals wisely, and as became him; seeing he might easily assure himself, that those who are acquainted before his Information with the true state of these things, would give little ⟨p. 247⟩credit to what he nakedly averrs upon his own Authority. For my part, I shall readily acknowledg, that for ought appears in this Book, he is a better Historian then a Disputant; and hath more reason to trust to his faculty of telling a Tale, than managing of an Argument. I confess also, that a slight and superficial view of Antiquity, especially, as flourished over by some Roman-Legendaries, is the best advantage our Adversaries have to work on; as a thorough Judicious search of it, is fatal to their pretensions. He, that from the Scriptures, and the Writings extant of the first Centuries, shall frame a true Idea of the State and Doctrine of the first Churches, and then observe the adventitious accessions made to Religion in the following ages, partly by mens own inventions, but chiefly by their borrowing from, or imitation of, the Jews and Pagans, will need very little light or help from artificial Arguments to discover the defections of the Roman-Party, and the true means whereby that Church arrived unto its present condition. To persue this at large is not ⟨p. 248⟩a work to be undertaken in this seambling chase. It hath been done by others, and those, who are not unwilling to be at the cost and pains in the disquisition of the Truth, which it is really worth, may easily know where to find it, Our present task is, but to observe our Author's motions, and to consider whether what he offers, hath any efficacy towards that he aims at.
