Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.

REader, I intreat you, take notice, that long since, in a sullen retirement, being amazed at the transactions of businesses in the Church, so well as State. I not only grieved to observe the ruines of that glorious hedge, with which God had fenced his Vineyard, (that hedge of thorns, which formerly no man could have kicked against, but it would have hurt his foot) broken down; but likewise how the foxes had been in the Vineyard; how they had eaten up and devour∣ed most of those desirable fruits of piety, humility, obedience, and fidelity, which had only a name of honour left them by former writers, but no exi∣stence in the practice of men amongst us; Conside∣ring these sad misfortunes, and studying what would become of them, I found many gallant men, with noble and heroïque spirits, repairing the hedge, by shewing the necessity of that discipline whose decay introduced

all those mischiefs to the Church; others, with as high a vertue, and as effectuall pens, pruning the Vines, and cherishing those decayed fruits; I honou∣red their endeavours, but considered cui bono, to what purpose all this learning bestowed; not only the foxes have been nibling the fruits and branches, but the wild Bore hath been in the Vineyard, and hath so far digged at the roots of Religion, that the principal Vines hang by little strings, and do only live, yea would die if not succoured. (These were my reflexions on those times) I therefore thought it necessary for some body, and applyed my particular en∣deavours to cast fresh Earth about those roots of Re∣ligion; to chase, if I could, that wild Bore out of the Vineyard into his former Forest of heathenish principles; and surely if any one man, for some hun∣dreds of years, might be called that Bore, it is Mr. Hobbes, no one man ever writing so destructively to the principles of Christianity as he hath done; Upon this reason I bent my study against him and his Books, and did heretofore publish two pieces in an un∣known name, being willing to have the businesse done, but not caring if my name were lost in the World; the first was meerly Philosophicall, against the two first Chapters of his Leviathan, which yet, because he made that the Introduction and Foundation

of his Divinity, I thought it necessarily conducing to my intentions against the other, to begin with; Since my writing that I have found some men, of great worth, and deserved reputation in Letters, that have opined with some things in that piece, up∣on which I thought to have suspended my putting it out again, untill I had enlarged my Discourse with them; but, upon perusal, supposing they could not prophesie, nor had foreseen by reason what I urg∣ed, I resolved to publish it as it is, and take some other leisure to censure them, if God give me life. The other piece was against the 12^th. 13^th. and 14^th. Chapter; both so falsly printed, that, when I saw them, I could scarce know them for mine own. I have writ against most part of his great errours, but my condition in those times was such that I was for∣ced, upon frequent and sudain searches of inquisi∣tive souldiers, to huddle up my papers, and throw them I know not where, nor can yet find divers of them; those which I can find at this present, I now print, considering how lamely such duties are per∣formed by Executors, and my self grown to that Age as I must commit most things to them shortly, how soon I know not; the rest, God willing, shall come out as I shall discover them, or else can repair what is defective by my memory, at such snatches of time

as I can recover from my necessary duties, who love not my life, nor any piece of it, but as it shall conduce to the glory of God, and the good of Christian men, that they may lead a peaceable and godly life in unity and charity, which is the whole endeavour of

Your brother and servant in and for Jesus Christ, Will: Lucy Bishop of St. David's.