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thofe things which hertofore were govern'd only by exhortation. Salomon informs us that much reading is a wearines to the flesh; but neither he, nor other infpir'd author tells us that fuch, or fuch reading is unlawfull; yet certainly had God thought good to limit us herein, it had bin much more expedient to have told us what was unlawfull, then what was wearifome. As for the burning of those Ephefian books by St. Pauls converts, tis reply'd the books were magick, the Syriack fo renders them. It was a privat act, a voluntary act, and leaves us to a voluntary imitation: the men in remorse burnt those books which were their own; the Magiftrat by this example is not appointed: these men practiz'd

practiz'd the books, another might perhaps have read them in fome fort usefully. Good and evill we know in the field of this World grow up together almost infeparably; and the knowledge of good is fo involv'd and interwoven with the knowledge of evill, and in fo many cunning resemblances hardly to be difcern'd, that those confused feeds which were impos'd on Pfyche as an inceffant labour to cull out, and fort asunder, were not more intermixt. It was from out the rinde of one apple tafted, that the knowledge of good and evill as two twins. cleaving together leapt forth into the World. And perhaps this is that doom which Adam fell into of knowing good and evill, that is to fay of knowing good

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by evill. As therefore the ftate of man now is; what wifdome can there be to choofe, what continence to forbeare without the knowledge of evill?. He that can apprehend and confider vice with all her baits and feeming pleasures, and yet abstain, and yet diftinguish, and yet prefer that which is truly better, he is the true warfaring Chriftian. I cannot praise a fugitive and cloister'd vertue, unexercis'd and unbreath'd, that never fallies out and fees her adverfary, but flinks out of the race, where that immortall garland is to be run for, not without duft and heat. Affuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather that which purifies. us is triall, and triall is by what is con

trary.

trary. That vertue therefore which is but a youngling in the contemplation of evill, and knows not the utmost that vice promises to her followers, and rejects it, is but a blank vertue, not a pure; her whiteneffe is but an excrementall whiteneffe; Which was the reason why our fage and ferious Poet Spencer, whom I dare be known to think a better teacher then Scotus or Aquinas, defcribing true temperance under the person of Guion, brings him in with his palmer through the cave of Mammon, and the bowr of earthly bliffe that he might fee and know, and yet abftain. Since therefore the knowledge and furvay of vice is in this world fo neceffary to the conftituting of human vertue, and the scanning of

error

error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more fafely, and with leffe dan

ger

scout into the regions of fin and falfity then by reading all manner of tractats, and hearing all manner of reafon? And this is the benefit which may be had of books promifcuoufly read. But of the harm that may refult hence three kinds are ufually reckn'd. First, is fear'd the infection that may spread; but then all human learning and controverfie in religious points muft remove out of the world, yea the Bible itfelf; for that ofttimes relates blafphemy not nicely, it defcribes the carnall fenfe of wicked men not unelegantly, it brings in holieft men paffionately murmuring against providence through all the arguments

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