The oracles of the Disserters : containing forty five relations of pretended judgments, prodigies, and apparitions, in behalf of the Non-Conformists; in opposition to the Establish'd Church. Part I. / Publish'd in order to make the Church of England as odious in the eyes of the vulgar, as popery. And re-printed with seasonable remarks. By an impartial hand [i.e. John Brydall].

  • Brydall, John, 1635?-
Date:
1707
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The oracles of the Disserters : containing forty five relations of pretended judgments, prodigies, and apparitions, in behalf of the Non-Conformists; in opposition to the Establish'd Church. Part I. / Publish'd in order to make the Church of England as odious in the eyes of the vulgar, as popery. And re-printed with seasonable remarks. By an impartial hand [i.e. John Brydall]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    See. How far they have over-fbot the Mark, will appear from the Remarks made upon them, which fufficiently difeover the Weakneft of the Arguments, which they have made the Foundation-Pillars of their whole Defign tho’ we fhould take the Matter of Faff, as re¬ lated, for undoubted Truths, unlefs made evident by Witneftes of unqueftionable Judgment and Integrity, and who have been either Eye or Ear-witnefles of the Matter ^ This having been neglefted in moft of their Relations, How can they blame the Readers, if they will not give an Implicite Credit to the Relations of Perlbns, who did not think fit to prefix their Names before their Treatifes ? For fup- pofing fome may be charitable enough not to fiifpeft their Sincerity in theie Accounts-, yet fince they were Compiled by feveral Hands, How can one vouch for the other in fo nice a Point > And fince ac¬ cording to their own Confeffion ( in the firffc Preface) there wrere no lefs than feven Falfhoods either in moil: Material Circumftances, or in the Matter of Fad it felf, difeover’d in fit eh another Treat ife of Prodigies and Judgments as this, publiih’d in 1661 *, All thefe having been found out in lefs than a years time. Who knows how many may have been difeover’d fince ? And fince the Compilers thereof were not exempted from this Frailty or Negled (to make the beft of it) I fee no reafon, why ours fhould challenge any Prerogative before the reft of their Brethren in the faille Caufe and in the fame Defign. It was partly upon this Score, that we thought fit to ufher it into the World under the Title of the Oracles of the Dijfenters. 3Tis well known the antient Oracles deliver’d their Sentences in ambiguous Ex- preffions, the Crafty Priefts having pitch’d upon this as the Beft, if not the only Expedient to maintain their Credit (after a contrary £- vent) by putting a double Interpretation upon the Words of the Ora¬ cle^ as is apparent from that deliver’d to Crafus : [Crafts Halyn pe¬ netrans Magyiam pervsrtit Qpum vhnf) which fignify’s as much, That if Cr&fns pajj'es the Halys, he fall make Great Havock and Dejiru&ion i which Crajus interpreting of his Enemies, the Misfortune fell upon his own Head: But the Priefts knew how to fave their Bacon, by the Application of the Ambiguous Words of their own making to the E- vent. The Oracles: of the Pagans alfb challeng’d an unqueftionable In¬ fallibility, and fb entire a Submiflion from its Profelytes, that no lefs than prefent Death, or fome Signal Misfortune ^ or, (as they ftil’d it) Judgments of the Irritated God, could attend thofe who durft either to Oppofe or Defpife its Dictates! I will not much enlarge my felf upon this Head, by entring into an Odious Comparifon $ but thus much, I judge I may fay, without tranlgreffing the Rules of Modefty or Truth : That fince our Compilers have not only made fo