The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

98 FILUM LABYRINTHI.
the ligiht whereof man discerned of every living and benefits, appearing and engraven in his works,
creature, and imposed names according to their which without this knowledge are beheld but as
propriety, was not the occasion of the fall; but through a veil: for if the heavens in the body of
the moral knowledge of good and evil, affected to them do declare the glory of God to the eye,
the end to depend no more upon God's command- much more do they in the rule and decrees of
ments, but for man to direct himself. Neither them declare it to the understanding. And
could he find in any Scripture, that the inquiry another reason, not inferior to this, is, that the
and science of man in any thing, under the mys- same natural philosophy principally amongst all
teries of the Deity, is determined and restrained, other human knowledge, doth give an excellent
but contrariwise allowed and provoked. For defence against both extremes of religion, superconcerning all other knowledge the Scripture pro- stition, and infidelity; for both it freeth the mind
nounceth, "That it is the glory of God to conceal, from a number of weak fancies and imaginations,
but it is the glory of man (or of the king, for the and it raiseth the mind to acknowledge that to
king is but the excellency of man) to invent;" God all things are possible: for to that purpose
and again, "The spirit of man is as the lamp of speaketh our Saviour in that first canon against
God, wherewith he searcheth every secret;" and heresies, delivered upon the case of the resurrecagain most effectually,," That God hath made all tion,'" You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor
things beautiful and decent, according to the re the power of God;" teaching that ther. are but
turn of their seasons; also that he hath set the two fountains of heresy, not knowing th3 will of
world in man's heart, and yet man cannot find God revealed in the Scriptures, and not knowing
out the work which God worketh from the be- the power of God revealed or at least made most
ginning to the end;" showing that the heart of sensible in his creatures. So as he saw well, that
man is a continent of that concave or capacity, natural philosophy was of excellent use to the
wherein the content of the world, that is, all forms exaltation of the Divine Majesty; and, that which
of the creatures, and whatsoever is not God, may is admirable, that being a remedy of superstition, it
be placed or received; and complaining, that is nevertheless an help to faith. He saw likewise,
through the variety of things, and vicissitudes of that the former opinions to the prejudice hereof had
times, which are but impediments and not impuis- no true ground; but must spring either out of mere
sances, man cannot accomplish his invention. In ignorance, or out of an excess of devotion, to have
precedent also he set before his eyes, that in those divinity all in all; whereas it should be only
few memorials before the flood, the Scripture above all; both which states of mind may be best
honoureth the name of the inventors of music and pardoned; or else out of worse causes, namely out
works in metal; that Moses had this addition of of envy, which is proud weakness, and deserveth
praise, that he was seen in all the learning of the to be despised; or out of some mixture of imposture,
Egyptians; that Solomon, in his grant of wisdom to tell a lie for God's cause; or out of an impious
from God, had contained, as a branch thereof, that diffidence, as if men should fear to discover som
knowledge whereby he wrote a natural history of things in nature which might subvert faith. But
all verdure, from the cedar to the moss, and of all still he saw well, howsoever these opinions are
that breatheth: that the book of Job, and many in right reason reproved, yet they leave not to be
places of the prophets, have great aspersion of most effectual hinderances to natural philosophy
natural philosophy; that the church in the bosom and invention.
and lap thereof, in the greatest injuries of times, 8. He thought also, that there wanted not great
ever preserved, as holy relics, the books of philo- contrariety to the further discovery of sciences in
sophy and all heathen learning; and that when regard of the orders and customs of universities,
Gregory, the bishop of Rome, became adverse and also in regard of common opinion. For in
and unjust to the memory of heathen antiquity, it universities and colleges men's studies are almost
was censured for pusillanimity in him, and the confined to certain authors, from which if any dishonour thereof soon after restored, and his own senteth or propoundeth matter of red.argution, it is
memory almost persecuted by his successor Sabi- enough to make him thought a person turbulent;
nian; and lastly, in our times, and the ages of whereas if it be well advised, there is a great difour fathers, when Luther and the divines of the ference to be made between matters contemplative
Protestant church on the one side, and the Jesuits and active. For in government change is suson the other, have enterprised to reform, the one pccted, though the better; but it is natural to arts
the doctrine, the other the discipline and manners to be in perpetual agitation and growth. Neither
of the church of Rome, he saw well how both is the danger alike of new light, and of new mo.
of them have awaked to their great honour and tion or remove, and for vulgar and received opi.
i-uccour, all human learning. And for reason, nions, nothing is more usual, or more usually
there cannot be a greater and more evident than complained of, than that it is imposed for arrogancy
this, that all knowledge, and specially that of na- and presumption, for men to authorize themselves
tural philosophy, tendeth highly to the magnify- against antiquity and authors, towards whom
ing of the glory of God, in his power, providence, envy is ceased, and reverence by time amortised