Divine Testimonie

First therefore, let us seeke the dignitie of knowledge in the Arch-tipe or first plat forme, which is is in the attributes and acts of God, as farre as they are revealed to man, and may be observed with sobrietie, wherein we may not seeke it bythe name of Learning, for all learning is knowledge acquired, and all knowledge in God is originall. And therefore we must looke for it by another name, that of wisedome or sapience, as the scriptures call it.

It is so then, that in the worke of the Creation, we see a double emanation of vertue from God: the one referring more properly to power, the other to wisedome, the one expressed in making the subsistence of the mater, & the other in disposing the beauty of the fourme. This being supposed, it is to bee observed, that for any thing which appeareth in the historie of the Creation, the confused Masse, and matter of heaven and earth was made in a moment, and the order and disposition of that Chaos or Masse, was the work of sixe dayes, such a note of difference it pleased God to put uppon the workes of power, and the workes of wisedome: wherewith concurreth that in the former, it is not sette downe, that God sayd, Let there be Heaven and Earth, as it is set downe of the workes following, but actually, that God made Heaven and earth: the one carrying the stile of a Manufacture, and the other of a lawe, decree, or Councell.

To proceede to that which is next in order from God to spirits: we finde as farre as credite is to bee given to the celestiall Hierarchye, of that supposed Dionysius the Senator of Athens the first place or degree is given to the Angels of love, which are tearmed Seraphim, the second to the Angels of light, which are tearmed Cherubim, and the third; and so following places to thrones, principalities, and the rest, which are all Angels of power and ministry; so as the Angels of knowledge and illumination, are placed before the Angels of Office and domination.

To descend from spirits and intellectuall formes to sensible and materiall fourmes, wee read the first fourme that was created, was light, which hath a relation and correspondence in nature and corporall thinges, to knowledge in spirits and incorporall thinges.

So in the distribution of dayes, we see the day wherin God did rest, & contemplate his owne works, was blessed above all the dayes, wherein he did effect and accomplish them.

After the Creation was finished, it is sette downe unto us, that man was placed in the Garden to worke therein, which worke so appointed to him, could be no other than worke of contemplation, that is, when the end of worke is but for exercise and experiment, not for necessitie, for there being then no reluctation of the creature, nor sweat of the browe, mans employment must of consequence have ben matter of delight in the experiment and not matter of labor for the use. Againe the first Acts which man persourmed in Paradise, consisted of the two summarie parts of knowledge, the view of Creatures, and the imposition of names. As for the knowledge which induced the fall, it was, as was touched before, not the naturall knowledge of Creatures, but the morall knowledge of good and evill, wherein the supposition was, that Gods commaundements or prohibitions were not the originals of good and evill, but that they had other beginnings which man aspired to know, to the end, to make a totall defection from God, and to depend wholy upon himselfe.

To passe on, in the first event or occurrence after the fall of Man; wee see (as the Scriptures have infinite Mysteries, not violating at all the truth of the Storie or letter) an Image of the two Estates, the Contemplative state, and the active state, figured in the two persons of Abell and Cain, and in the two simplest and most primitive Trades of life: that of the Shepheard (who by reason of his leasure, rest in a place, and living in view of heaven, is a lively Image of a contemplative life) and that of the husbandman; where we see againe, the favour and election of God went to the Shepheard, and not to the tiller of the ground.

So in the age before the floud, the holy Records within those few memorials, which are there entred and registred, have vouchsafed to mention, and honour the name of the Inventors and Authors of Musique, and works in mettall. In the age after the Floud, the first great judgement of God uppon the ambition of man, was the confusion of tongues; whereby the open Trade and intercourse of Learning and knowledge, was chiefely imbarred.

To descend to Moyses the Law-giver, and Gods first penne; hee is adorned by the Scriptures with this addition, and commendation: That he was seene in all the Learning of the Ægyptians; which Nation we know was one of the most ancient Schooles of the world: for, so Plato brings in the Egyptian Priest, saying unto Solon: You Grecians are ever Children, you have no knowledge of antiquitie, nor antiquitie of knowledge. Take a view of the ceremoniall law of Moyses; you shall find besides the prefiguration of Christ, the badge or difference of the people of God, the excercise and impression of obedience, and other divine uses and fruits thereof, that some of the most learned Rabynes have travailed profitably, and profoundly to observe, some of them a naturall, some of them a morall sence, or reduction of many of the ceremonies and ordinances: As in the lawe of the Leprousie, where it is sayd: If the whitenesse have overspread the flesh, the Patient may passe abroad for clean; But if there be any whole flesh remayning, he is to be shut up for uncleane: One of them noteth a principle of nature, that putrefaction is more contagious before maturitie than after: And another noteth a position of morall Philosophie, that men abandoned to vice, doe not so much corrupt manners, as those that are halfe good, and halfe evill, so, in this and verie many other places in that lawe, there is to bee found besides the Theologicall sence, much aspersion of Philosophie.

So likewise in that excellent Booke of Job, if it be revolved with diligence, it will be found pregnant, and swelling with naturall Philosophie; as for example, Cosmographie, and the roundnesse of the world: Qui extendit aquilonem super vacuum, & appendit terram super nihilum: wherein the pensilenesse of the earth, the pole of the North, and the finitenesse, or convexitie of Heaven are manifestly touched. So againe matter of Astronomie; Spiritus eius ornavit cœlos & obstetricante manu eius eductus est coluber tortuosus: And in another place, Nunquid coniungere valebis micantes stellas pleyadas, aut gyrum arcturi poteris dissipare? where the fixing of the starres, ever standing at equall distance, is with great elegancie noted: And in another place, Qui facit arcturum, & oriona, & hyadas, & interiora austri, where againe hee takes knowledge of the depression of the Southerne pole, calling it the secrets of the South, because the southerne starres were in that climate unseene. Matter of generation, Annon si ut lac mulsisti me, & sicut caseum coagulasti me, &c. Matter of Mynerals, Habet argentum venarum suarum principia: & aurolocus est in quo conflatur, ferrum de terra tollitur, & lapis solutus calore in aes vertitur: and so forwards in that Chapter.

So likewise in the person of Salomon the King, wee see the guist or endowment of wisedome and learning both in Salomons petition, and in Gods assent thereunto preferred before all other terrene and temporall felicitie. By vertue of which grant or donative of God, Salomon became inabled, not onely to write those excellent Parables, or Aphorismes concerning divine and morall Philosophie; but also to compile a naturall Historie of all verdor, from the Cedar upon the Mountaine, to the mosse uppon the wall, (which is but a rudiment betweene putrefaction, and an hearbe) and also of all things, that breath or moove. Nay the same Salomon the King, although he excelled in the glorie of treasure and magnificent buildings of shipping and Navigation, of service and attendance, of same and renowne, and the like; yet hee maketh no claime to any of those glories; but onely to the glorie of Inquisition of truth: for so he sayth expressely: The glorie of God is to conceale a thing, But the glorie of the King is to find it out, as if according to the innocent play of Children the divine Majestie tooke delight to hide his workes, to the end to have them found out, and as if Kinges could not obtaine a greater honour, than to bee Gods playfellowes in that game, considering the great commaundement of wits and meanes, whereby nothing needeth to be hidden from them.

Neither did the dispensation of God varie in the times after our Saviour came into the world; for our Saviour himselfe did first shew his power to subdue ignorance, by his conference with the Priests and Doctors of the lawe; before he shewed his power to subdue nature by his miracles. And the comming of the holy spirite, was chiefely figured and expressed in the similitude and guift of tongues; which are but Vehicula scientiæ.

So in the election of those Instruments, which it pleased God to use for the plantation of the faith, notwithstanding, that at the first he did employ persons altogether unlearned, otherwise than by inspiration, more evidently to declare his immediate working, and to abbase all humane wisedome or knowledge; yet neverthelesse, that Counsell of his was no sooner perfourmed, but in the next vicissitude and succession, he did send his divine truth into the world, wayted on with other Learnings as with Servants or Handmaides: For so we see Saint Paule, who was only learned amongst the Apostles, had his penne most used in the scriptures of the new Testament.

So againe, we finde that many of the ancient Bishops and Father of the Church, were excellently redde, & studied in all the learning of the Heathen, insomuch, that the Edict of the Emperour Julianus (whereby it was interdicted unto Christians to bee admitted into Schooles, Lectures, or exercises of learning) was esteemed and accounted a more pernitious engine and machination against the Christian faith; than were all the sanguinarie prosecutions of his Predecessors; Neither could the emulation and Jealousie of Gregorie the first of that name, Bishop of Rome, ever obtaine the opinion of pietie or devotion: but contrarywise received the censure of humour, malignitie, and pusillanimitie, even amongst holy men: in that he designed to obliterate and extinguish the memorie of Heathen antiquitie and Authors. But contrarewise it was the Christian Church, which amidst the inundations of the Scythians, on the one side from the Northwest: and the Saracens from the East, did preserve in the sacred lappe and bosome thereof, the pretious Reliques, even of Heathen Learning, which otherwise had beene extinguished, as if no such thing had ever beene.

And wee see before our eyes, that in the age of our selves, and our Fathers, when it pleased God to call the Church of Rome to account, for their degenerate manners and ceremonies: and sundrie doctrines, obnoxious, and framed to uphold the same abuses: At one and the same time, it was ordayned by the divine providence, that there should attend withall a renovation, and new spring of all other knowledges: And on the other side, we see the Jesuites, who partly in themselves, and partly by the emulation and provocation of their example, have much quickned and strengthned the state of Learning: we see (Isay) what notable service and reparation they have done to the Romane Sea.

Wherefore to conclude this part, let it bee observed, that there be two principall duties and services besides ornament & illustration, which Philosophie and humane learning doe perfourme to faith and Religion. The one, because they are an effectuall inducement to the exaltation of the glory of God. For as the Psalmes, and other Scriptures doe often invite us to consider, and magnifie the great and wonderfull workes of God: so if we should rest onely in the contemplation of the exterior of them, as they first offer themselves to our sences; we should do a like injurie unto the Majestie of God, as if wee should judge or construe of the store of some excellent Jeweller, by that onely which is set out toward the streete in his shoppe. The other, because they minister a singuler helpe and preservative against unbeleefe and error; For our Saviour saith, You erre not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God: laying before us two Bookes or volumes to studie, if we will be secured from errour: first the scriptures, revealing the will of God; and then the creatures expressing his power; whereof the later is a key unto the former; not onely opening our understanding to conceive the true sence of the scriptures, by the generall notions of reason and rules of speech; but chiefely opening our beleefe, in drawing us into a due meditation of the omnipotencie of God, which is chiefely signed and ingraven uppon his workes. Thus much therefore for divinetestimonie and evidence, concerning the true dignitie, and value of learning.