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Show .. djthe Aduanteme'!t of Le'arning~ The tbifd: hat we , doe ·not prefitme by ·the conte~ plation of Nature, to aitaine to the ~ifieries of God:. for as toucd1ing the firH of thefe,s alomon doth exCellently expouncfhimfel£~ iP anoth~r place of the fa1ne Booke, where he~ fayth ; I jawe well that knowledge recedtth as far're lr..rtm ignura!Jre , as light doth {rum darkenejfe) and that ·the wife mdiJS eyes keepe Wtttch in his head whereas the foo/e rottndeth ab~t in darl:enefle ·_. But withal/ Je~rned 1 har the fime mortalit"ie inttoltteth t·hem botb. · And for the fecond,certaine it is,there is no vexatipn o~ anxietie .of minde, which relillteth from knowledge o~ . · t erw.ife.thao meerely by·accideQt ;.for all know. J Rge ~nd wonder (which is the.leede .o£ xnowlMdge) i~ an imprefsion of plea(ure in it {elfe; but .when men. fall to frami.ng, conclufions out ·of their knpwledge, apBlyi~ it to their parti<;tder, a9d minifi~ing ro them{elues thereby weake felir~s, or vaft defires' there groweth that carefblnelfe and Fro ubleof p1inde, which is fpok~n of: for then knowledge is po . n1ore JL11men jicctJm, whereof Herac~ttu the_ profound 13yd, -Lt~men Jiccum optimA antma~but It DeCOtilmeth Lumen madid1~m or ma- . c.eratum, being fteepcd and infufed in the hu~ors of · . the affeClion~. And as for the third point, it deferueth to beahule_fiood vpoo;and not tQ be lightly pam~~ o~er: fur 1f an,Y man Chall tliinl<e bY View and e~qUtry 10~0 thefe fenfible anol materialthings to at· tatne that hght, whereby he ~ay reueale vnto him-felfe the na~ure or will of God : tlien indeed is he fpoyled! ·. · .- g""hC ftrfl 'Boo~. 6 fpoyled by vaine Philofophie :, . for. ihe comeinpta~. 'tion ot-Gods Creatures and works produ~eth (ha-uing regard ~o the works and creatures t~emfelues) 1 knowledge, but hauing regard to God, n·<!> perfeCt knowtedg,but wonder, which is broke knowledge~ And therefore it was mofi aptly fayd by one of P/a .. t()es Schoole, That. the ftnce of man caryeth a refemhlance with the Sunne, which (aswefee) openrth andre- 11(4/tth-a/l the terrejlriallGlobe; brtt then againe it obfiure'th and concealeth the flarJ & cc/effia!IGt()be: So doth the Sen.ce d~fcouer natttraU thinges, hut it darkeneth and Jkutteth 1.p Diuine. And hence it is true t~at it h4th p(oceeded that diuers great learned men , - l aue beene herericau,· whileft they haue fought to flye vp to the fecrets of the Deitie by the waxen ,winges of the Sences : Ahd as for the con~eite that too much knowledge fuould . encline a man to Atheifme, aPJd that the ignorance of fecond caufes !hould mal<e a more deuoute dependa1;1ce vppon .God> wliich is the firfi (!at1fe; Firfi, it is good to afke the quefiion which lob ask~d of his friends ; If/ill yotj lye for God, as one ' man will doe for another, to grtttifte" h,m ? for certaine it is, that God worketh nothing in Na\ture, bu"t by · fecond caufes, and if they ~ould haue it otherwife· bele~ued·, it is meere.irnpo(lure,as it were infauour . , tewardes God ; and nothing elfe, but to offer to the Author of truth, ·tlie yncleane facrifice of a lye •. But further , it is an alfured truth, and a con~ , ~!ufion o~ exp·erience , that a little or fuperficiall' . B 3 .. know- |