Manuductions to the pallace of trueth by F.B. Obseruant

CHAP. IIII. THAT TRVETH TAKES NO disaduantage, by our blamelesse ignorance, in the reasons of diuine mysteries.

NEITHER, neede wee to feare that the common cause of our Faith should suffer wracke, or be de∣priued of necessarie defence, vnlesse it be supported with reasons and ar∣guments, against euery importunate & presumptuous wrangler. As though our religion could not stand without Champions to defende it, or were e∣uer the truer, for hauing many ap∣proouers, or that she must be fayne to begge her authoritie from seely men. This consequence, is nothing neces∣sarie. For, our faith and religion is sufficiently guarded with her owne forces, and beares vp her selfe with

the strength of her owne pillers, be∣ing so well framed, that shee can not choose but stand, all were it so, that shee had neuer an arme to de∣fende her. Yea, though all tongues, with combyned courage, should striue by clamarous contradiction, to worke her subuersion.

Suppose then, wee should be desti∣tute and vnfurnished of arguments, or, peraduenture not vnderstanding the reason of thinges, should frankly confesse this our ignorance, and tell them, wee doe beleeue as wee haue heard from him, whose authoritie is more potent to perswade them rea∣son, wherein is this credulitie of ours to be blamed? Is it a fault to beleeue God, and graunte that thing to be possible vnto him, which to our sen∣suall reason, seemeth impossible? Is it a fault to confesse, that either wee know not these things, or that wee know them for such as are not of vs to be discussed? It is nothing so. For, what reproach or shame can it be for one to be ignorant in that, as he is not bound to know? or yet to professe without excuse or dissimula∣tion

his ignorance in things he knows not? no wise man surely will judge him blame-worthy that takes not vpon him the vnderstanding of some darke or hidden poynt, but him rather that presumes euidently to know such things, as are inuolued with insoluble knots and obscuri∣ties.

He that should call euery trueth in question, whereof he were not able to conceaue the reason, might hap∣pen also to doubt, whether he haue a reasonable SOVLE, and stagger, no lesse at any other vndoubted prin∣ciple, which his feeble vnderstan∣ding, could not be able to compasse. It is affirmed by ORIGEN, and cannot be denied, that in the Chur∣ches obseruations, there bee a great many things, which euery man is bound to doe, and yet the reason of them is not euident to euery one.

There be others also, which many perhaps, who sufficiently vnderstand them, cannot sufficiently explicate. And surely, if we should be said to vn∣derstand no thing, but what we are able to explicate by defining the na∣ture

and propertie thereof, we need not much boast of our knowledge in most things that are. For as lear∣ned MVRETVS said to this purpose; I seeme well enough to know what a stone is, what a horse, what an Oxe, what is golde, what is siluer: of which things, notwithstanding (as of infinite others in daily vse) should one presse me with giuing him the definitions, I must intreate him to giue me time to delibrate thereof, and perhaps, after a prettie long deliberation, I should be as new to seeke for an an∣swere as before; neither should I dare to affirme that I am in health, or that I am sicke, because there be so many disputes amongst the Phisici∣ans, about the nature and definition of health and sicknesse. Whereupon, GALLEN said very well; Obmutescen∣dum nobis foret, si ea tantum nosse dicamur, quorum definitiones tenemus.

It was a pretie answere, S. AVGV∣STINE, made concerning the defini∣tion of time: Si nemo ex me quaerat, scio. Si querentibus respondere velim, nescio. Hee tels vs likewise, that there be many things, wherein a man may be igno∣rant,

without prejudice to his pro∣mised saluation. And that some things there are, which might not onely, with more wisdome be con∣cealed, but also, with more skill re∣maine vnknowen. Thererfore (saith he) let no man demaund of me that, which I knovv, I know not; vnlesse peraduenture, hee vvould learne not to knovv that, vvhich hee should knovv, can not be knovven.

In a certaine Epistle also, vvhich hee vvrote to S. HIEROME, hee saith vnto some, vvho demanded of him, hovv the sinne of ADAM, should spread it selfe, to the infection of his poste∣ritie? his answere was this: hoc, vt alia multa, ignorare me fateor. I confesse, this is one thing amongst many, which I doe not know. And to others, hee giues this counsell, in poynts of like difficultie: Si intelligere non valetis, in portu, securi maneatis. If you be not able to vnderstande them, abide safe a Gods name, in the Hauen. And a∣gaine: Capiat, qui potest, credat qui non potest. Yea, perhaps it is better to be ig∣norāt in some things, then with dan∣ger of error to learne them, as Saint

HIEROME wisely teacheth. Only one poynt there is, noted by S. AVGV∣STINE, which were necessary for euery man to know, That pride is the mother and of-spring of all vices.

Notes

• Ex Arn. l 2 Cont. Gent. quo••d sensum.
• Ibid.
• Hom. 5. in Num.
• In sui•• ad Sen. Annota∣tionibus.
• Li. Conf.
• L. 2. de pec. mer. & rem. c. vl.
• L. 22. de Ciuit. Dei c. 20
• Eiusdem libri. c. 2.
• Ep. 29.
• Tract. 36. in Io.
• Ser. 15. ad frat. in eremo.