Section I, Book 2, chapter 6: Of true and false wisdom and philosophy

CHAP. VI. Here, One great God IEHOVAH seemeth to call the false wisdome, or Wisemen and Philosophers of this world unto an Account for their erroneous Doctrine, touching the causes and manner of the Creation of the world, and the Generation of the Meteors thereof.

I Have expressed unto you in the precedent Chapter, that the great Master of the Peripatetick doctrine, is not for nought termed by the Greeks themselves Cacodaemon, or an evill spirit, being that by his inventions he hath deceived the world, and seduced it from the right path of Wisdome, and directed it unto that way which leadeth and guideth unto assured error and ignorance, and that by the painted mask of sophisticated reasons, besmeared over with a false and outward shew of probability only, faining those things to be accidentall, and caused at hap-hazzard, which in verity are from above, that is to say, essentially produced by the increated Spirit's power, which operateth all in all: For according unto his doctrine, the Earth, the Stats, the Elements were eternall and not created: and he covereth this his false assertion, with appearing naturall inventions, framed out of his own brain, saying, ex […], nihil fit: Of nothing, nothing is made. He giveth also a humane reason of life, motion, and limits or borders the Seas; and faineth causes after his fancie of the generation and corruption of things: And speaketh of a first matter, and a form, after his manner; though he knoweth not essentially what they are: He telleth us unreasonably the reason of the snow, frost, and ice, hail, rain, clouds, and mists saying that they are adventitiously caused of vapours which are drawn up by the heat of the Sun and Stars, out of the earth and waters, into the middle region of the Aire, and are there condensed into those substances, by the accidentall coldness of the place. He inventeth and bringeth forth some sleight proofs to maintain his imaginations, averring, that the wind is made or caused by chance, namely through the exalting or subliming of hot and dry exhalations out of the earth, by vertue of the forementioned Agents; the which exhalations, after they approach the middle region of the Aire, are repercussed and beaten down again. And then in their motions downward, they meeting with other exhalations which ascend, are forced to move collaterally. He presumeth to know the hidden causes of the Lightnings and Thunders, making them to proceed also accidentally, namely from a concourse of vapours mixed with exhalations; and an infinite of such like frivolous inventions he hath erected. All which he hath vailed over with his smooth words and subtill shews, of externall or superficiall probabilities only, instead of the reall and centrall visage of Truth. But the God of Heaven and Earth, which is the Author of all these things, and doth mystically fashion them by his eternall power, and calleth them out of his Treasury, when and where he list, seemeth to deride this inventor of lies, with his obsequious followers in these very words, which he spake unto Job. Who is this (saith JEHOVA out of the whirl-wind, unto this bold abuser of his Works) that darkneth the counsell of my Words without knowledg, Gird up now thy loines like a man, I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me: Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth? declare if thou hast understanding: Who hath laid the measures thereof, or who hath stretched the line over it, whereupon are the foundations of them set, or who layed the corner-stone thereof? (What? were they eternall and without all beginning as thou vainly surmisest?) Who shut up the Sea with doores, when it issued and came foorth as out of a wombe? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? And hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? (that thou assignest a reason so confidently of corruption and generation, according unto thine imagination:) Hast thou entred into the Treasury of the Snow? or hast thou seen the Treasuries of the Hail which I have hid against the time of trouble? (that thou after thy fancy darest to forge, fain, or assigne unto them such accidentall principles?) By what way is the Light parted, which scattereth the East wind upon the Earth? (what? is it by a hot and dry exhalation attracted on high by the Son and Stars, and afterward repelled downward laterally, as thou hast published?) Who hath divided the spouts of the raine? or the way for the lightnings of the Thunders? And who is the father of the raine? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? (must the created Sun and Stars be the Actors and Authors in this business, as thou dost erroniously imagine?) Out of whose wombe came the Ice? who hath engendred the frost of the heaven? (Is it the coldness of the middle region of the Aire, as thou seemest to averre?) Canst thou restrain the sweet influences of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his time, canst thou also guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the course of heaven? or canst thou set the rule thereof upon the earth? (And why not,? For thou professest by thy Peripatetick Philosophy to understand the causes of everything: and he that truly knoweth the mysteries of things can do wonders: For by that means my servant Josuah made the Sun to stand still. And for the religious Hezekias his sake, my Spirit did cause the Sun to move backward. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that the abundance of water may cover thee? Canst thou send the Lightnings, that they may walk and say unto thee, Lo here we are? If the grounds and principles which thou hast invented be essentiall and substantiall, all this and more maist thou effect: For such of the Elect, into whom my Spirit of Wisdome (who hath assigned true principles unto the essentially wise) hath inspired this knowledg, are able to effect all these things: as my servant Elias, after a long drought, caused the clouds to moisten the dry earth: and my Prophets, Moses and Samuel, d[…]d, by the power which I did assigne them, produce Thunder and Lightnings, unto the terror of their enemies. Dost thou know who hath put w[…]sdome in the reins? or who hath given the heart understanding? And darest thou, being led by the frivolous effects of thy inventions, which are grounded on the Elements of this world, and not upon my Spirit, which is the true Wisdome, ascribe my works, who am the sole Creator of all things, unto the creatures? Is this to learn? to strive with the Almighty: he that reproveth God, let him answer unto it. Thus seemeth our great God to speak unto Aristotle, and such like Philosophers of this world, who being too much elated in their own conceits, presume thus over-boldly on their terrene and animal wisdom, and would check and contradict the vertuous actions of God by their phantasticall surmises. I could wish therefore, that these mundane Philosophers would turn from this their worldly wisdom, and humiliate themselves before the onely Creator of heaven and earth, and answer with the patient Job in this manner, Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. I know that thou canst do all things. I have spoken the things I understood not, even things too wonderfull for me. I have heard of thee by report, but now mine eyes behold thee in thy creatures. And for this cause I abhor my self, and repent in dust and ashes, acknowledging that there is no true wisdom, but that which is from thee, who art the Father of light, by the vertue whereof, thou workest all these wonders. And therefore we confesse, that the wis[…]om of this world is meer foolishnesse, and such as wholly addict themselves unto it are deceived, forasmuch as they do neglect the divine wisdom Christ Jesus, in whom all the treasures of science and sapience are hid. Thus have you briefly understood the duplicity of wisdom, and by consequence, the bi-forked, or contrary nature of philosophy, that is in this world; and how all good Christians (contrary unto the custom of this our age) ought to leave and forsake the one, and with fervency and zeal, to love and embrace the other. And now in this Book following, I purpose to set down those Mosaicall principles, on which our sacred Philosophy hath erected the whole bulk or substance of her fabrick.