Vitality of Tradition
For as in order to the cure of diseases it is of primary importance to be well acquainted with their origin and causes; so likewise in order to settle controversies, it is an essential advantage thoroughly to understand on what occasion they arose, by whom they were contested, in what manner and how far they were agitated by the antients. Let us therefore apply ourselves to a concise elucidation of this business.
John Davenant, A Dissertation on the Death of Christ: As to Its Extent and Special Benefits (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1832), 318.