Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

This observed, a Minister may lay aside the person of a Minister, and use mens arguments and reasons, Acts 17. 23. speaking to the people that were ignorant, saith, I saw it written on the Altars to the unknown God: when he would prove that they were created, he saith, In him we live, we move and have our being, as one of you have said we are all his off spring. As if he should say, this Poet hath authority with you, else it were but a weak argument, and if he did it, so may we. Suppose we were to prove the Scriptures to be the Word of God, we may prove it, because its that on which faith is grounded; if in this we do produce humane reasons, we do aright.

The fourth ground concerns the use of humane learning, and it is this. That the excellency of humane ¹wisdom is not to be used in the testimonies of God. That is, not in preaching the Gospel. I allege ⟨p. 311⟩the Apostles own word, I came not unto you in the excellency of speech, or of wisdom; contrary to those that think, if the Divine truth be found, learning may be laid in it, and the ground work may be wrought with gold. If any think themselves straitened in this opinion, see 1 Cor. 2. 1. I came to you saith Paul, not in excellency of speech or wisdom; what wisdom doth he mean? not Divine wisdom, for that he had in abundance, but humane wisdom, [Greek or Hebrew], I came not to show the testimony of God by it, But I esteemed to know nothing among you, but Christ and him crucified; That is, I accounted nothing else worth the knowing: to this there are these liberties.

The fourth ground concerns the use of humane learning, and it is this. That the excellency of humane ¹wisdom is not to be used in the testimonies of God. That is, not in preaching the Gospel. I alleadge