The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

240 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. BooK II
veneration a thing they called law and manners." and exempted from examination of reason, it is
So it must be confessed, that a great part of the then permitted unto us to make derivations and
law moral is of that perfection, whereunto the inferences from, and according to the analogy of
light of nature cannot aspire: how then is it that them, for our better direction. In nature this
man is said to have, by the light and law of na- holdeth not; for both the principles are examinature, some notions and conceits of virtue and ble by induction, though not by a medium cr
vice, justice and wrong, good and evil l Thus, syllogism; and besides, those principles or first
because the light of nature is used in two several positions have no discordance with that reason
senses; the one, that which springeth from which draweth down and deduceth the inferior
reason, sense, induction, argument, according to positions. But yet it holdeth not in religion
the laws of heaven and earth; the other, that alone, but in many knowledges, both of greater
which is imprinted upon the spirit of man by an and smaller nature, namely, wherein there are not
inward instinct, according to the law of con- only posita but placita; for in such there can be
science, which is a sparkle of the purity of his no use of absolute reason: we see it familiarly in
first estate: in which latter sense only he is par- games of wit, as chess, or the like: the draughts
ticipant of some light and discerning touching and first laws of the game are positive, but how!
the perfection of the moral law: but how. suffi- merely ad placitum, and not examinable by reacient to check the vice, but not to inform the duty. son; but then how to direct our play thereupon
So then the doctrine of religion, as well moral as with best advantage to win the game, is artificial
mystical, is not to be attained but by inspiration and rational. So in human laws, there be many
and revelation from God. grounds and maxims which are placita juris,
The use, notwithstanding, of reason in spiritual positive upon authority, and not upon reason, and
things, and the latitude thereof, is very great and therefore not to be disputed: but what is most
general: for it is not for nothing that the apostle just, not absolutely but relatively, and according
calleth religion our reasonable service of God; to those maxims, that affordeth a long field of
insomuch as the very ceremonies and figures of disputation. Such therefore is that secondary
the old law were full of reason and signification, reason, which hath place in divinity, which is
much more than the ceremonies of idolatry and grounded upon the placets of God.
magic, that are full of non-significants and surd Here therefore I note this deficiency, that there
characters. But most especially the Christian hath not been, to my understanding, sufficiently
faith, as in all things, so in this deserveth to be inquired and handled the true limits and use of
highly magnified; holding and preserving the reason in spiritual things, as a kind of divine
golden mediocrity in this point between the law dialectic: which for that it is not done, it seemeth
of the heathen and the law of Mahomet, which to me a thing usual, by pretext of true conceiving
have embraced the two extremes. For the reli- that which is revealed, to search and mine into
gion of the heathen had no constant belief or con- that which is not revealed; and by pretext of
fession, but left all to the liberty of argument; enucleating inferences and contradictories, to
and the religion of Mahomet, on the other side, examine that which is positive: the one sort
interdicteth argument altogether: the one having falling into the error of Nicodemus, demanding
the very face of error, and the other of imposture: to have things made more sensible than it pleaseth
whereas the faith doth both admit and reject dis- God to reveal them, ", Quomodo possit homo
putation with difference. nasci cum sit senex " the other sort into the
The use of human reason in religion is of two error of the disciples, which were scandalized at
sorts: the former, in the conception and appre- a show of contradiction, 1"Quid est hoc quod
hension of the mysteries of God to us revealed; dicit nobis I Modicum et non videbitis me; et
the other, in the inferring and deriving of doc- iterum modicum et videbitis me," &c.
trine and direction thereupon. The former ex- Upon this I have insisted the more, in regard
tendeth to the mysteries themselves; but how I of the great and blessed use thereof; for this
by way of illustration, and not by way of argu- point, well laboured and defined of, would in my
ment: the latter consisteth indeed of probation judgment be an opiate to stay and bridle not only
and argument. In the former, we see, God the vanity of curious speculations, wherewith the
vouchsafeth to descend to our capacity, in the ex- schools labour, but the fury of controversies,
pressing of his mysteries in sort as may be sen- wherewith the church laboureth. For it cannot
sible unto us; and doth graft his revelations and but open men's eyes, to see that many controverholy doctrine upon the notions of our reason, and sies do merely pertain to that which is either not
aipplieth his inspirations to open our understand- revealed, or positive; and that many others do
ing, as the form of the key to the ward of the grow upon weak and obscure inferences or derilock: for the latter, there is allowed us a use of vations: which latter sort, if men would revive
reason and argument, secondary and respective, the blessed style of that great doctor of the Genalthough not original and absolute. For after tiles, would be carried thus, "Ego, non Domi.- ~
lhe articles and principles of religion are placed nus;" and again, " Secundum consilium meum,"