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"But thus the Enemy of Mankind hath prevailed upon us, while we were earnest in disputations about things less concerning: Then he was watchful and busy to interweave evil and uncertain principles into our Moral institutions, to intangle what was plain, to divide what was simple, to make an art of what was written in the tables of our hearts with the finger of God."

— Taylor, Jeremy (bap. 1613, 1667)

Author

Taylor, Jeremy (bap. 1613, 1667)

Work Title

Ductor Dubitantium, or, The Rule of Conscience in all her General Measures Serving as a Great Instrument for the Determination of Cases of Conscience

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

Printed by R. Norton for R. Royston

Date

1660, 1676

Metaphor

"But thus the Enemy of Mankind hath prevailed upon us, while we were earnest in disputations about things less concerning: Then he was watchful and busy to interweave evil and uncertain principles into our Moral institutions, to intangle what was plain, to divide what was simple, to make an art of what was written in the tables of our hearts with the finger of God."

Metaphor in Context

But thus the Enemy of Mankind hath prevailed upon us, while we were earnest in disputations about things less concerning: Then he was watchful and busy to interweave evil and uncertain principles into our Moral institutions, to intangle what was plain, to divide what was simple, to make an art of what was written in the tables of our hearts with the finger of God. When a gentleman was commending Dr. Fisher Bishop of Rochester his great pains in the confutations of Luther's books, the wise Prelate said heartily, that he wished he had spent all that time in prayer and meditation which he threw away upon such useless wranglings. For that was the wisdom of the Ancients. Antiqua Sapientia nihil aliud quam facienda & vitanda pracepit: Et tunc meliores erant viri. Postquam docti prodierunt, boni desunt. Simplex enim ilia & aperta virtus in obscuram et solertem scientiam versa est: Docenturque disputare, non vivere. Our fore-Fathers taught their children what to do and what to avoid; and then men were better. But when men did strive to become learned, they did not care so much to become good; then they were taught to dispute rather than to live. To this purpose I understand that excellent saying of Solomon, Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his Commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. Meaning, that books which serve to any other purpose, are a laborious vanity, consumptive of our time and health to no purpose but such things which teach us to fear God, and how to keep his Commandments. [...]
(pp. vii-viii)