Pseudodoxia epidemica, or, Enquiries into very many received tenents, and commonly presumed truths / By Thomas Brown Dr. of Physick.

  • Thomas Browne
Date:
1658
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pseudodoxia epidemica, or, Enquiries into very many received tenents, and commonly presumed truths / By Thomas Brown Dr. of Physick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    v of the crime an abetter of the fa& prohibited.Snrely his mercy was great that did not revenge the impeachment of his judice; And his goodnefs to be admired, that it refuted not his argument in the pimifhment of his excufation, cr only purfued the fird tranlgredion without a penalty of this the fecond. ' : T'l The third was that of Eve-, The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. In which reply there was not only a very feeble excufe, but an erroneous tranflating her own offence upon another. Extenuating her hn front that which was an aggravation, that is to excufe the faff at ail, much more upon the fuggedion of a bead, which was before in the drifted terms prohibited by her God, For althongh we now do hope the mercies of God will confider Our degenerated in¬ tegrities unto fome minoration of our offences, yet had not the fincerity of our fird parents, fo colourable expectations, unto whom the commandment was but fingle, and their integrities bed able to redd the motions of its tranfgreflion. And therefore fo heinous con¬ ceptions have rifen hereof,that fome have feenied more angry there¬ with, then God himfelf: Being fo exafperated with the offence, as to call in qneflion their falvation,and todifpnte the eternal punifhment oftheir Maker. Afluredly with better reafon may poderity accufe them then they the Serpent, or one another; and the difpleafure of the Pelagians mud needs be irreconcilable, who peremptorily main¬ taining they can fulfill the whole Law, will infatisfaftorily con¬ demn the non-obfervation of one. The fourth was that fpeech of Cain upon the demand of God, Where is thy brother ? and he faid, I know not. In which ne¬ gation, befide the open impudence, there was implied a notable error t for returning a lie unto his Maker, and prefuming in this manner to put off the fearcher of hearts, he denied the omni- fciency of God, where unto there is nothing concealable. The an- fwerof Satan in the cafe of Job, had more of truth, wifdom and reverence, -then this; Whence coined thou Satan ? and he faid, from comparing of the Earth. For though an enemy of God, and hater of all Truth, his wifdom will hardly permit him to falfi- fie with the All-mighty. For well underdaiiding the omnifcience of his nature, he is not fo ready to deceive himfelf, as to falfi- fie unto him whofe cognition is no way deludable. And there¬ fore when in the tentation of Chrid he played upon the fallacy, .and thought to decieve the Author of Truth, the method of this The devil proceeding arofe from the uncertainty of his Divinity ; whereof knew not our j)a(j ]ie j-eniaiued affured, he had continued lilent ; nor would Co^when be diferetion attempt fo unfucceedable a temptation. And fo tempted Dm. again at the lad day, when our offences fhall be drawn into ac- compt, the fubtilty of that hiqui.itor fhall not prefent unto God a bundle of calumnies or confutable accusations; but will difereet- : ly
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