Divine considerations treating of those things which are most profitable, most necessary and most perfect in our Christian profession by John Valdesso.

CONSID. LXVIII.

That the desire of knowledge is imperfection in a man, con∣trary to the judgement of humane wisdome.

HUmane wisdome judgeth, that the desire to know is a great perfection in man; and the holy spirit judgeth that it is a great imperfecti∣on in a man. Humane wisdome confirms her opinion, saying, That it hath been seen by ex∣perience, that in the world those men have lived most virtuously, who having the greatest desire to know, have most given themselves to endea∣vour to know, and have known most: And here is alledged a troop of Philosophers. And the holy Spirit on the contrary affirms his sen∣tence, saying, That through the desire of know∣ing, sinne came into the world, and through sin,

death, and with it all the miseries and all the troubles whereunto we stand subject in this pre∣sent life. That this is true, is proved by the per∣swasion of the devil, who said unto Eve, You shall be like Gods, knowing good and evil. Pas∣sing on further, the holy Spirit saith, that the desire of knowledge destroyed the Hebrews; in∣asmuch as desiring to understand the prophesies that spake of the Messias, and procuring to un∣derstand them by the way of wit, and humane discourse, they imagined to themselves, and fi∣gured a Messias so contrary to him whom God sent them, as when they had him, they knew him not, and not knowing him they did not receive him, and from their not receiving him, redoun∣ded not onely that they did not enjoy him, but it caused their ruine and perdition. Passing on further the holy Spirit saith, that the Gentiles desiring to know the originall, and the begin∣ning of naturall things, did procure to know them with their own wits & discourses; whence comes to passe that which S. Paul said, They be∣came vain in their imaginations, and they wor∣shipped the creature, and ran headlong into other absurd and bruitish inconveniencies. In the same manner the holy Spirit saith, that many men desiring to know the things which appertain to Christian religion, and procuring it with natu∣rall light, have made such strange conceits of God, and of Christ, and of the Christian state,

and of the Christian living; that a man may say with truth, that of Christ they have no∣thing but the name; participating on one side of the inconvenience of the Hebrews, inasmuch as they read holy Scripture, and desiring to under∣stand it, procuring this not with that spirituall light with which it was written, but with natu∣rall light, they do not understand it: and par∣ticipating on the other side of the inconvenience of the Gentiles, inasmuch as desiring to know that which the Gentiles knew, they read that which the Gentiles writ, and they think as the Gentiles thought, and frame Gentiles minds.

The holy spirit having proved his sentence against that desire of knowing which men have, saith further, That that virtue which is got by desiring to know, & knowing that which may be known with naturall light, is rather a vice then a virtue; inasmuch as it makes men pre∣sumptuous, insolent, and consequently impious, and incredulous. That this is true, appears by this, that the men that follow their proper na∣turall light, by how much they are more virtu∣ous, according to the world, by so much they have lesse confidence in God, and do so much lesse believe in Christ, and therefore are so much more impious, and more incredulous; in such manner, that I may well say that the desire to know is a great imperfection in a man.

In this discourse I learn two things. The one,

that humane wisdome hath no jurisdiction in judging of the perfection and imperfection of a man. The other, that it appertains to every man who being called of God to the grace of the Go∣spel, makes answer thereunto, to mortifie and kill in himself the desire to know, of what sort soever it be, that he may not fall into the incon∣venience of false Christians, and of the Gen∣tiles, and of the Hebrewes, nor into that where∣in our first parents fell; and that they may come to the perfection whereunto S. Paul came, not desiring nor procuring to know other then Christ and him crucified. Which wisdome we ought to desire and procure with prayer to God, we who having accepted the grace of the Go∣spel, are true Christians incorporated in Jesus Christ our Lord.