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among us.

Not to mention the learned

Gorrefpondence which you hold in forreigne parts, and the extraordinary pains and diligence which you have us❜d in this matter both heer, and beyond the Seas; either by the definite will of GoD fo ruling, or the peculiar fway of nature, which also is God's working. Neither can I thinke that fo reputed, and fo valu'd as you are, you would to the forfeit of your own difcerning ability, impose upon me an unfit and over ponderous argument, but that the fatisfaction which you profeffe to have receiv'd from those incidentall difcourfes which we have wander'd into, hath preft and almost conftrain'd you into a perswafion, that what you require from me in this point,

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I neither ought, nor can in confcience deferre beyond this time both of fo much need at once, and fo much opportunity to trie what God hath determin'd. I will not refift therefore, what ever it is either of divine, or humane obligement that you lay upon me; but will forthwith fet down in writing, as you request me, that voluntary Idea, which hath long in filence presented it felf to me, of a better Education, in extent and comprehenfion farre more large, and yet of time farre fhorter, and of attainment farre more certain, then hath been yet in practice. Briefe I fhall endeavour to be; for that which I have to fay, affuredly this nation hath extreame need fhould be done fooner than fpok'n. To

tell

tell you therefore what I have benefited herein among old renowned authors, I fhall fpare; and to fearch what many modern Ianua's and Didactics more than ever I fhall read, have projected, my inclination leads me not. But if you can accept of thefe few obfervations which have flowr'd off, and are as it were the burnishing of many ftudious and contemplative yeers altogether spent in the fearch of religious and civil knowledge, and fuch as pleas'd you fo well in the relating, I here give you them to difpofe of.

The end then of learning is to repair the ruin of our firft parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him,

to be like him, as we may the neerest by poffeffing our fouls of true vertue, which being united to the heavenly grace of faith makes up the highest perfection. But because our understanding cannot in this body found it felfe but on fenfible things, nor arrive fo cleerly to the know-ledge of God and things invifible, as by orderly conning over the vifible and inferior creature, the fame method is neceffarily to be follow'd in all difcreet teaching. And feeing every nation affords not experience and tradition anough for all kinde of learning, and therefore we are chiefly taught the language of thofe people who have at any time been moft industrious after wifdom; fo that language is but the inftrument convay

ing to us things ufeful to be known. And though a linguift fhould pride himfelfe to have all the tongues that Babel cleft the world into, yet, if he have not ftudied the folid things in them as well as the words and lexicons, he were nothing fo much to be efteemed a learned man, as any yeoman or tradefman competently wife in his mother dialect only. Hence appear the many mistakes which have made learning generally fo unpleafing and fo unfuccefsfull; firft we do amiffe to fpend feven or eight yeers meerly in fcraping together fo much miferable Latin, and Greek, as might be learnt otherwife eafily and delightfully in one yeer. And that which cafts our proficiency therein fo much behinde, is

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