Section I, Book 2, chapter 4: Of true and false wisdom and philosophy

CHAP. IV. Of the false wisdom, spurious Philosophy and Philisopher; with their marks or characters.

NOw that I have sufficiently expressed and discovered unto you, the nature and essence of the true wisdom, and consequently of the essentiall Philosophy, and Philosopher: it will be most convenient and necessary, that I describe unto you the false wisdom of this world, with the frail Philosophy which is grounded upon it; and withall I will delineate the characters and marks, not onely of this kind of wisdom, but also of the Philosopher, which is hatched and nourished from that spurious brood, or misbegotten offspring. The Apostle St. James saith That as the true wisdom which is from above, is first pu[…]e, then peacefull, gentle, swasible, full of mercy and good fruit, not judging, and without emulation or hypocrisy: So contrariwise, That wisdom which is not from above, is earthly, animal, or sensuall, diabolicall, and contrad[…]cteth the truth, and consequently is litigious, immodest, unswasible, void of fruit, full of emulation and dispute. Now as the foundation of the first is Jesus Christ, forasmuch as he is the true wisdom; so that of the other, the traditions or inventions of man, animated and introduced by the devill, which made the divine Philosopher say, in putting a difference between these two opposites, In Christo sunt omnes thesau[…]i sapientiae & scientiae absconditi. Hoc dico, ut nemo vos decipiat in subtititate seu suasibil[…]tate se[…]monum &c. Videte ne quis vos decipiat per Philosophiam & inanem fallaciam secundum traditionem hominum secundum elementa mundi, & non secundum Christum, q[…]ia in ipso habitat omnis plenitudo divinitatis c[…]rporaliter. All the treasures of wisdom and science are hid in Christ. This I say unto you, that no man deceive you by philosophy, and vain sophistication or fallacy, after the traditions of men, according unto the elements of this world, and not according unto Christ, because that in him dwelleth the plenitude of the Divinity corporally. In which speech, he seemeth to justifie, that all wisdom and knowledge, and consequently the true Philosophy, and all the sciences comprehended under it, do abide and are to be sought for in Christ, that eternall wisdom, and onely angular stone, which filleth, informeth, and animateth all things; and are no way to be found in the false Philosophy, which is full of sophistication, and beareth scarcely a face or shape of probability with it, seeing that it is masked over with worldly human inventions, framed out according unto the rules and orders, of this obscure and erroneous world, and not according unto the precepts of Christ, the eternall wisdom, who (as the Scriptures do tell us) is, omnium mirabilium operator, the worker of all marvellous conclusions, as well naturall as supernaturall. And for this cause, the Apostle condemneth Philosophy in generall tearms, not but that the love of the true wisdom is good, and consequently the lover of it is no lesse to be honoured and esteemed; but he meaneth, the love of the worldly and human wisdom is vain: and he tearmeth it so, because that the Ethnick Philosophers added [non-Latin script] unto their false [non-Latin script]; so that the word Philosophy being a term after the Ethnicks invention, is, in regard of the erroneous and jarring rules thereof, to be rejected, being that it is onely framed and made after pagan mens traditions; forasmuch as it leadeth even Christians themselves, much more the Gentiles, rather to errours, and seduceth them more from the knowledge of God, than it doth induce or direct them, into the true path of finding him out; and for that reason, it became the occasion of a manifold idolatry in this world, in that it perswaded the ignorant worldling unto the worshipping of the creatures, instead of the Creator. For this cause therefore (I say) it was forbidden to be embraced of Christians, and hereupon the Apostle admonisheth us, to beware of philosophy, and vain fallacy, &c. Of such kind of Philosophers therefore, which do not build upon the truth, he speaketh else-where thus, Revelatur ir a Dei de coelo super omnem impietatem & injustitiam homin[…]m eorum qui veritatem Dei in injustitia detinent, quia quod notum est Dei manifestum est in illis; Deus enim illis revelavit. Invisibilia enim ipsius à creatura mundi per ea quae facta sunt, intellecta, conspiciuntur. Sempiterna quoque ejus veritas & divinitas, ita ut sint inexcusabiles. Quia cum cognovissent Deum, non sicut Deum glorificaverunt aut gratias egerunt, sed evanuerunt in cogitationibus suis, & obscuratum est insipiens cor eorum: dicentes enim se esse sapientes, stu[…]ti facti sunt; & mutaverunt glo[…]iam incorruptibilis Dei, in similitudinem corruptibilis hominis, & volucrum, & quadrupedum, & serpentum, &c. The anger of God is revealed from heaven, upon all the impiety and unjustnesse of those men, which do detain the verity of God in unrighteousnesse, because that what is known of God, is made manifest unto them, for God hath revealed it unto them. For the invisible things of him, and also his everlasting vertue and divinity, being understood by such creatures as were made from the worlds creation, are beheld or made manifest. So that they are inexcusable, because that when they knew God, they did not glorifie him, or give him thanks, but did fade away, or vanish in their own imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkned. And therefore in saying that they were wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into the similitude of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and of serpents, &c. Again, Salomon speaketh unto the self-same sense, in these words: Vani sunt homines omnes natura, in quibus inest ignorantia Dei, & qui ex i[…]s, quae spectantur, bonis, eum, qui est, intelligere non potuerunt, neque ex operibus consideratis, ipsum opificem agnoverunt: All men are vaine by nature, who are ignorant of God, and cannot understand him, that truly is, by such good creatures of his which they behold, nor yet can acknowledge the workman by the consideration of his works. It well behoveth therefore each Christian, to be wary in his reading the Ethnick Philosophy, and to consider seriously before he wade too far in it, or give too much credit unto it, the sayings of the two foresaid Sacred Philosophers, which followed the rules of the true Wisdome. And again, let him call to minde the precepts, which the first of them (I mean St. Paul) did impart unto the worldy Philosophers of Athens, when he espied that they did adore and worship strange and unknown Gods, and how he taught them a new Philosophy, and new Wisdome, namely Jesus Christ, which was strange doctrine unto them. And therefore they said, Let us heare what this babler will say, that bringeth in this strange doctrine of Christ. Whereby it appeareth that the true Wisdome never sounded into their eares, or dived into their hearts: Let him (I say) observe that it was at this kind of bastard Philosophers, with their Philosophy, that the Apostle pointeth, where he saith in the place above cited: Let no man deceive you in subtility and swasibility of speech: Beware of Philosophy and vaine F[…]llacy, which are according unto the traditions of men, and according unto the Elements or rudiments of this world, and not after Christ, &c. In which words he distinguisheth the false Philosophy or wisdome, from the true Sapience, and he seemeth to intimate that the false Philosophy is but vaine Fallacy, framed after the manner of men of this world, namely as at Athens it was taught; that is to say, with vain Fallacie, subtilties and seeming more in appearance and probability, then it was indeed. And for that reason it filled men fuller of doubts, by inquiries made through misty and foggy passages, then if they had gone the plain and simple way of teaching, to wit, after the true image of the reall and essentiall Philosophy or rather Sophia or Wisdome, which as the Wiseman telleth us, is, Spiritus intelligentiae Sanctus, unicus, simplex, modestus, d[…]sertus, suavis, perspicuus, amans bonum, humanus, benignus, stabilis, certus, omnem habens virtutem, amicos Dei constituens, & in animas sanctas se transferens: The holy spirit of Wisdome, is unique and simple in his essence, modest, eloquent, sweet, plaine, and open without amb[…]guity: Loving that which is good, humane, benigne, stable, sure, comprehending in it selfe all vertue, and an introductor of man unto the friendship of God, by transferring it self into the souls of pious and godly men. Lo here we see, that, in condition, this description of the good and true Wisdome, doth exactly agree with that Wisdome, whose character is described by St. James, as is said before: For he termeth it, modest, benigne, peacefull, suasible, without envy, or emulation. Again, (as St. James saith,) that it is from above, namely, from the Father of Light. So also doth Salomon express her pedigree thus, Sapientia (saith he) est vapor virtutis Dei & emanatio quaedam seu fluxus claritatis omnipotentis Dei sinceri, & candor seu splendor lucis aeternae, & speculum sine macula Majestatis Dei, & imago bonitatis illius: Wisdome is the vapor of the vertue of God, and a certaine emanation, or flux of the sincere shining forth of the Omnipotent God, and the brightness of the eternall light, and a mirrour without spot of the Majesty of God, and the image of his goodness, By the which definition it is evidently discerned: First, that it is that Wisdome which is from above; next that it is not the vaine wisdome of this world, which is nothing else but a plaine fiction or empty shadow, in regard of this which is only truth: lastly, this wisdome bringeth good fruit with it; for it imparteth unto men, essentiall vertue and power, to act as well naturally as miraculously: and therefore the Apostle saith, Signa Apostolatûs mei facta sunt super vos in omni potentia, in signis prodigiis & virtutibus: The signes of mine Apostleship are upon you in all patience, in signes, prodigies, and virtues. And again, Qui tribuit vobis Spiritum & operatur virtutes, seu miracula, in vobis: Who bestoweth upon you the Spirit, who worketh also virtues, or miracles among you. Lo here our Christian Philosophers may see, how this Wisdome bringeth forth power and vertue, which St. James, in the beforecited place doth call good fruits: for he saith, that Wisdome which is from above, is full of good fruits: But Paul seemeth to call the Ethnick Philosophy vaine fallacy, and therefore if it be vaine, then it is void of good fruit, and consequently there is no true fructifying Philosophy, nor truly fructifyed Philosopher, but that which is grounded on that true and eternal Wisdome, Jesus. Besides all this, the true Wisdom is peaceable, not ambiguous, nor apt to be cavilled with, or contentiously to be disputed of, neither needeth it an infinity of distinctions and quiddities, framed out of mans braine, which rather leadeth the disciple by the multiplicity thereof into ignorance, then it doth elucidate the brightness of naked truth: But the false Philosophy, is so full of distinctions, subtil and sophisticall evasions, so subject to cavills and disputations, and so contentiously composed, and, in fine, so difficill, and in effect so fruitless, that, instead of the true and essentiall graine, we find but chaff; instead of truth, we gather but words; instead of essentiall reality, we collect scarce a type or shadow of Verity; in lieu of sincerity we find but vanity; and, in conclusion, is more in appearance overmasked over, for the most part, with a seeming probability, then indeed really to be discerned; and for this cause, the Apostle saith, Praedicatio mea non est in persuasivis humanae sapientiae verbis, sed in ostensione spiritus & virtutis: My preaching is not in the perswasive words of humane wisdome, but by the manifestation of the Spirit and of power. For this reason therefore we find, in the one of the two kinds of wisdome, the fruits of power, vertue, and miracles, such as the true and divine Philosophers did produce by the Omnipotent Corner-stone, (I mean the true Wisdome) in times past, and made them manifest unto the world: Whereas the other can do nothing indeed, but produce cavillings, dispute, contentions, and fallacies, the fruits whereof, in the conclusion, is naught else but vanity: It is not I, but the Spirit of truth, that assureth you thus much. And yet now, even in this later age of the world, in which Satan, the prince of this world which is darkness, hath the upper hand; this terrene wisdome or vaine Philosophy, which is dawbed over with dark ignorance, hath the dominion or upper hand, and so by that means Christ, which is the true Wisdome, is daily crucified among some Christian Philosophers, and buried in darkness, through the mysty and ambiguous clouds of that cavilling, brabling, heathenish Philosophy, which they so adore and follow, with their Master Aristotle, as if he were another Jesus rained down from heaven, to open unto mankind the treasures of the true wisdome: But ma[…]k a while (I beseech you) how the Apostle doth describe these wrangling Philosophers, with their Sophisticall Philosophy, and with what characters and colours he doth justly describe them: Si quis aliter docet, & non acquiescit sanis sermonibus Domini nostri Jesu Christi (saith he) & ei quae secundum pietatem est Doctrinae, superbus est, nihil sciens, sed languens circa quaestiones, & pugnas verborum; ex quibus oriuntur iuvidiae, contentiones, blasphemiae, suspiciones mala, conflictationes hominum mente corruptorum, & qui veritate privati sunt, existimantium quaestum esse pietatem: If any man teach otherwise, and consenteth not unto the wholsome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and unto the doctrine which is according unto Godlinesse, he is puffed up and knoweth nothing, but doteth about questions, and contention of words; whereof cometh envy, strife, rayling, evil surmises, froward disputations of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, which think that gaine is Godlinesse: From such, (saith St. Paul unto Timothy) Seperate thy self. I could hartily wish, that each Christian Peripatetick, who spendeth his time in disputes and cavills, after the Aristotelian manner, and attempteth to draw out the endless bottome of truth, or dive into the bowells or labyrinths of verity, by subtle evasions, I meane by an infinity of distinctions, which doe rather distract then attract man unto the true wisdome, (which is but plaine and simple unity); I could wish them (I say) to ponder this with patience, and seriously to call to mind, that in the Church of God, and habitations or kingdoms of the true Sophia, or, if they please, Philosophia, there is no such custome as the Apostle teacheth us: for this mixtion of multiform humane wisdome, with the wisdome of God, hath been the occasion of so many dissentions and discords, as have sprung up among the Philosophers of this world, whereupon every kind of this false Philosophy, hath, by stiffe cavillations, and disputations, maintained her Sect. This also hath been the occasion of errours in the Church of God, as well among Christians, as Turkes, and Jewes: For amongst us Christians it hath been the root of many Schisms and Heresies, which have risen up in the re-search of one onely true God, which is the eternall Unity. And hereupon, Convenientibus vobis in Ecclesia, (saith St. Paul) si quis videtur esse contentiosus, nos talem consuetudinem in Ecclesia non habemus: If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custome in the Church of God. To conclude, there are so many waies of deception in this our Christian world, by reason of these Aristotelicall evasions, and Protean Peripateticall distinctions, and sophistications, that the self-same thing, may by them, like a nose of waxe, be turned, and changed, or altered, in outward appearance, which way a man list; and so plain simple truth is abused, and the silly man seduced. The Apostle doth notably decypher or paint forth, this kind of Aenigmaticall Philosophers of our Age, (which, like glorious Thrasoes, are puffed up in their own conceipts, and think very well of themselves, though they approach not neare the mark or Summum bonum, which wise men do ayme at) in these colours, In novissinis diebus (saith he) instabunt tempora periculosa, &c. Erunt homines seipsos amantes, cupidi, elati, superb[…], &c. Semper d[…]scentes & nunquam ad scientiam veritatis pervenientes, quemadmodum autem Jamnes, & Mambres restiterunt Moysi, ita & hi resistuunt veritati, homines corrupti mente, & reprobi circa fidem, & ultra non proficient; insipientia enim eorum erit manifesta omnibus, sicut & illorum fuit. Tu autem assequuntus es meam Doctrinam. In the last daies, shall come perilous times: for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, high-minded, and proud, &c. alwaies learning, and never attaining unto the knowledge of the truth. And as Jamnes and Mambres did resist Moses, so do these withstand the truth, being men corrupt in minde, and reprobate concerning the faith. But these shall prevail no longer, for their foolishnesse shall be made manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, &c.

Now his doctrine was concerning the true Philosophy, whose foundation was Jesus Christ, or the true wisdom and corner-stone, which sustaineth all, and is all in all, and filleth all, and acteth or operateth all in all; which is contrary unto the tenour of the Ethnick doctrine, seeing that it maketh an infinity of essentiall Agents in this world, as Daemons, Stars, Elements, Meteors, Fire, Water, Cold, Heat, Man, Beast, Plant, Minerall, and such like; the which they will have as subalternate essentiall Agents, to act and operate of themselves, not understanding, that there is but one catholick and indivisible Agent in many mansions, which doth operate by, and in, an infinity of organicall vehicles, all in all, and over all. And this doctrine of theirs hath so infected our Christian Philosophers, which are of their sect, that they distinguish of Gods Beeing, saying, That he is present vertualiter, and not substantialiter, or essentialiter. As who should say, that Gods vertue can be without his essence, or divided from his divinity, which is indivisible; and so they dream of some accidents to be in God, which are distinguished from his essence. Or else they distinguish and say, that he operateth all principaliter and mediate, as he is the first cause. But, say they, there are an infinity of secundary causes, which act and operate of themselves. But I wonder, if that were true, how God can be said to fill all things, and operate all in all; if he be onely the first efficient cause, and not the generall cause of all action in this world, by his blessed Spirit, which he sent out into the world, to do the will of him that sent it, as well in heaven as in earth. What needs more words, when the Apostle in plain tearms decideth this controversie in the Text before mentioned? Etsi sunt (saith he) qui dicuntur Dij sive in coelo, sive in terra, (siquidem sunt dij multi & domini multi) nobis tamen est unus Deus Pater, ex quo omnia, & nos in […]llo; & unus Dominus Jesus Christus, per quem omnia, & nos per ipsum. Sed non in omnibus est haec scientia. Though there be that are called Gods, as well in heaven as on earth, (as there are many gods, and many lords) yet unto us there is but one God, which is the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. But every man hath not that knowledge. By which words each Christian may discern, how adverse the divine Philosopher Paul is, unto the imaginary vertue, and immediate act, of either the Peripatetick's Daemons and Intelligences, or of the starry bodies and influences, or of the quali[…]ies of his four Elements, or of the Winds and other Meteors, mentioned by their Master Aristotle.

And although they appear in outward shew, that they act or work of themselves in this world; yet our true Philosopher Paul teacheth us, that by his Philosophy, (whose basis or ground is the true wisdom Jesus Christ) he can discern no other Agent but one primary, of whom are all things; and the other secundary, by whom are all things, both which he acknowledgeth to be but one in essence; for the one being an emanation out of the other, doth onely, and of himself operate all in all. This is the perfect tenent of the essentiall Philosophy: And therefore whatsoever the mundan and Ethnick Philosophy doth tell, and by insinuating subtlety perswade us unto, which is apparently contrary unto the true Philosophy, we ought not in any case to believe. And unto this, the said divine Philosopher seemeth to consent, in these words, Though an angel from heaven doth preach unto you otherwise then that wh[…]ch we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. If any man preach otherwise then that ye have received, let him be accursed. And therefore seeing that the Aristotelian learning, is contradictory in diverse main points, unto the positions of the essentiall wisdom or philosophy, a true Christian ought not in the main points to believe it, seeing that as St. James hath it) the grounds and tenour of it are opposite unto the holy Bible, which is the onely cabinet of truth; and therefore is pronounced by him to be terrene, animal, and diabolicall. Hereupon St. Paul writeth unto his schollar Timothy, in this style, Timothy, keep that which is committed unto thee, and avoid profane and vain bablings, and oppositions of sciences falsly so called, which while some professe, they have erred concerning the faith. In which words, he seemeth to forewarn his Disciples, that they be not entangled with the sophisticall allurements of the wo[…]ldly Philosophy, which contradicteth the truth, and is not pacifick, but troublesome, and full of vain disputes and opposition, pronouncing such kind of Philosophy, to be not truly but falsly called a science; as also all those sciences which depend on it: And moreover insinuates unto his disciples, that such Christians as profess it, with too too vehement a devotion and confidence have by the meanes of it been subtilly induced into errors concerning the faith, which is grounded upon the Anchor-hold of this invisible wisdome, which is the spirituall Christ Jesus; Again, in this sense he giveth this Caveat before specified unto his Colossian disciples. Beware that no man do deceive you by Philosophy and vaine fallacy according unto their adition of men, according unto the Elements of this world, and not according to Christ, &c. Whereby he admonisheth us Christians, to eschew the false philosophy of the Ethnicks, and to stick firmly unto the rules and doctrine of the true wisdome, and therefore he saith in the same Text, In Christo ambulate radicati et aedificati in ipso &c. walk yee firmly rooted in Christ, &c. whereby he intendeth that Christ is the only corner-stone and ground work of the true Philosophy, being that all creatures, yea and the whole world is founded on it; and consequently that the foundation of Paganish philosophy is sandy and of no validity; whereupon the Apostle saith, Fundamentum aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod positum est, quod est Christus Jesus, No man can lay any other true foundation, but that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now that this is clean contrary unto the false grounds of the Ethnicks, the said Apostle seemeth to intimate in these words, Hoc dico ut non ambuletis, sicut et gentes ambulant in vanitate sensus sui, tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum, alienati in vita Dei per ignorantiam quae est in illis propter caecitatem cordis eorum &c. I say this, that you should not walk as the gentiles do, in the vanity of their senses, having their understandings obscured with darkness, being alienated from the life of God by ignorance which is in them by reason of their blindnesse of heart. I must now come to particularize upon the erroneous and false doctrine of the Peripatetick or Aristotelian philosophy, that thereby I may the better lay it open unto the world, by comparing the vanity thereof with the goodnesse and perfection of the divine and sacred Sophia or wisdome.